THE 



CITY OF SIN, 

AND 

ITS CAPTURE BI IMMANUEL'S ARMY. 



By Rev. E. F. REMINGTON, A.M., 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION, 



By Rev. GEORGE B. CHEEVER, D. D. 




PUBLISHED BY CAELTON & PO\, 

* 200 MU LEBER Y-STR EST. f /fl J I 




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 
CARLTON & PORTER, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of 
New-York. 



9 k 



P K E E A C E. 



The writer can imagine the reader looking at the 
title-page and exclaiming, " Who would dare to 
write an allegory after John Bunyan's triumphant 
success? "Who would dare to lift up his rushlight 
with such a sun flaming in the heavens ?" And the 
writer would ask, Who would dare to write an epic 
after reading^ Homer's Iliad ? Who would dare to 
open his mouth after listening to the thunders of De- 
mosthenes ? Who would dare to take a chisel into his 
hand after gazing at the Jupiter Olympus of Phidias ? 
Who would dare to paint after beholding the grapes of 
Zeuxis ? Influenced by such fears, Yirgil, Dante, and 
Milton would never have rolled their swelling tide of 
harmony through the world ; guided by such reasons, 
Cicero, Chatham, and Webster would never have 
shaken the forum and senate ; Praxiteles, West, and 
Powers w^ould never have enriched the world with 
their immortal productions. 

Many, influenced by fear or pride, refuse to 
shine as twinkling stars because they cannot flame 
as blazing suns. They will not pour the murmurs 



4 



PREFACE. 



of the cascade around them, because they cannot 
rush and roar like Niagara. They will not fan the 
fevered brow of humanity with the light wing of 
Zephyr, because they have not been permitted by 
nature and grace to career with the whirlwind. 
Now all such men should remember that gun-boats 
are often more useful than three-deckers. The sun 
is useful, so is a torch carried to men lost in a 
cavern. A chariot of fire and horses of fire were 
sent to take Elijah to heaven, but the ravens were 
sent to feed him. John Bunyan in his Pilgrim's 
Progress has erected a Parthenon ; Dr. Cheever in 
his Voyage to the Celestial Country has built a 
Theseum; but the writer has not been deterred on 
that account from rearing his humble cottage, hop- 
ing that its friendly roof will afford to some care- 
worn traveler shelter and repose. 

E. F. E. 

Yeeaxda Place, Beooextn, N". Y 
June 13, 1857. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Nature is continually playing with her children at the 
game of hide-and-go-seek, and so is constantly blessing them, 
educating them, and drawing out their faculties. She hides 
her laws, her elements, her powers, that men may study after 
them, labor after them, discover them, and thus know how to 
wield them. This is God's education of us by the very con- 
stitution of the globe we inhabit. The very walls of our 
schoolhouse are covered all over with diagrams, problems for 
solution, which we, the school-children, have to work out. 
And the seeds of things, the germinating elements and grains, 
are the deepest hidden, the last ripened, the most carefully shut 
up and guarded. The seeds in the heart of an apple must 
turn black before the apple is fit to be eaten, or the seeds to 
be planted ; and they are in the center of the fruit. Every 
beech-nut has its protecting burr of tiny crowded spines; 
every chestnut is a round repulsive ball like a hedge-hog, 
till the bosom of mother earth is ready with her shroud of 
resurrection elements for a new life, and then the nut drops for 
germination into the grave prepared for it. Bodily and men- 
tally we live upon the seeds of things, and live by discovery of 
them ; and in the chase and search after them, our faculties 
find their highest and most invigorating exercise. 

The correspondence with this law is one of the great excel- 
lences of parable and allegory. These forms 6f truth are a 



6 



INTRODUCTION. 



necessity of our constitution; we cannot live without them; 
they are almost as essential mediums of truth, for taking it up 
into circulation, for converting it into life, as the lungs are for 
carrying the life-qualities of our atmosphere into the blood 
through the system. Of the truths of Scripture itself it is said, 
" All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, 
and without a parable spake he not unto them, that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will 
open my mouth in parables, I will utter things that have been 
kept secret from the foundation of the world." A parable is, 
therefore, the last, ripest, most perfect form of truth, the most 
attractive for the multitude, the most certain to excite their 
curiosity and retain their attention, and, therefore, the easiest 
and the surest to be most permanently studied and widely 
understood. Our Lord Jesus spake unto the multitude out of 
love and mercy to them ; he gave them truth to feed them, 
not to puzzle, perplex, or tantalize them ; therefore he put it in 
a plain, simple, yet very attractive form before them. It was 
his object to communicate truth, and not to conceal it ; and 
parables for this purpose were the most ancient, oriental, 
popular mode of instruction, a method suited to the taste and 
understanding of all classes of mankind. It was a method 
which enabled the teacher to adapt his lessons with admirable 
skill to the knowledge, comprehension, and circumstances of the 
hearers ; while it would interest even the youngest children by 
tire mixture of incident and narrative, it might exercise, also, 
the most mature understanding, in the discovery of all the 
meaning possible to be conveyed. It was, and still is, a 
method of conveying truth suitable both to the educated and 
the illiterate, both to the barbarous and the refined, the wise 
and the ignorant, the scholar and the boor, to all ages, classes, 



INTRODUCTION. 



f 



and times of human society. The constitution of human 
nature itself makes it a universal law and element of wise 
rhetoric. 

Our blessed Lord accommodated his revelations to the 
capacities and dispositions of his hearers. He gave the truth 
to them in parables, as they could bear it. Sometimes he 
shut it up, as it were, in the casket of the story, the better to 
preserve it, and thus threw it among them, that they might 
keep the casket, and open it at their leisure. The seed which 
he was sowing he would not sow by the wayside without 
some defense and protection, lest the fowls of the air should 
come and devour it up ; but he would sow it sometimes in 
whole ears, with the husk upon it, so that the fowls of the air 
could not at once take it away. Had he sowed nothing but 
the bare truth in open precepts, its separate grains might have 
been more easily lost in the hearts of prejudice, unbelief, and 
sin. He sowed it sometimes in the ear, and the people may 
sometimes have taken the ear away with them, and on their 
way home, or afterward, in a quiet day, examined it, when, 
if he had sown the grains only, simple grains, they would 
have despised them, and Satan and the fowls of the air would 
have caught them up. Besides, in these parables he was not 
throwing forth truth for those alone who heard him while on 
earth, but for all time ; and this was the most effectual and 
interesting mode of preserving it. 

A parable might be varied in its form, and might be some- 
times a riddle, a dark saying, a very difficult proposition ; but 
in general it was of the nature of an illustrative story or exam- 
ple. It was an interesting and powerful means of gaining the 
attention of a careless people. Parables were not invented to 
conceal meaning, to shroud and bury it, but to illustrate, ex- 



8 



INTRODUCTION. 



pound, and convey great truth. Sometimes they might be 
used as an ornamented safe, for present concealment, in order 
that the truth might not be lost, but might be protected from 
violence and ruin. Unwelcome and dangerous truths, unwel- 
come to the people and daDgerous to those telling them, have 
sometimes been thus covered up and conveyed to the general 
mind in safety. Satirical compositions have been often of this 
kind, and important historical truth has sometimes had to be 
put in masquerade, or it would not have been permitted to be 
told at all. The poet Dante has shut up under an allegorical 
form in his great poem, some of the severest attacks against 
the iniquities of Popery. Sometimes an approach is made 
gradually to the mind in this way, and possession is gained in 
the convictions, before prejudice is awakened, or self-interest 
put upon the watch. Thus it was in the case of Nathan before 
David, with the beautiful parable of the poor man and his 
little ewe lamb. It was not till David had become so deeply 
interested in the story, and so thrown off his guard as to the 
discovery of its intention, as to have pronounced a severe 
judgment on the offender, even sentencing him to death, that 
Nathan told him plainly, "Thou art the man." Our Lord 
sometimes shut up in parables some of his severest denuncia- 
tions of the Jewish rulers, and descriptions of the wrath that 
was coming on their corrupt Church and State. Such things 
as these were among the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, 
which it was not best to expound openly. But of the doctrines 
and duties of repentance and salvation Christ always spake so 
plainly that no doubt' could be left in any sincere mind, nor 
any mistake made by an honest inquirer. And such an in- 
quirer would understand the drift of his instructive parables, 
the moment they were uttered. 



INTRODUCTION. 



9 



Nevertheless, an honest heart is requisite to understand the 
simplest spiritual lessons. Even Bunyan's plain and simple 
allegory concerning the Christian life is a casket of truth 
which many open and read without seeing its spiritual mean- 
ing ; but they whom God has given a heart to see, see it. 
The degree of obscurity which allegory causes, or the double 
meaning which it sustains, may give a more intense and im- 
pressive significance to truths, which otherwise, from their com- 
monness and simplicity, might have been quite disregarded. 
" Dark clouds," Bunyan says, " bring waters, when the bright 
bring none." Our blessed Lord, in his allegories and parables, 
sometimes opens the door into whole mines of truth, and bids 
men enter and labor. Every honest laborer may find ingots 
of treasure for himself. The mines were not designed to hide 
their precious contents from the world, but to preserve them 
for use, and make them worth laboring after. If they were 
in the open streets, and as common as the dust, none would 
care for them. 

The common people among the Jews were more attracted 
and pleased with this mode of teaching than those who prided 
themselves upon their learning ; as it is indeed the case in 
every age. Some of our Lord's parables were level with the 
humblest capacities, so that all the people would perceive at 
once the drift of them. The parable of the Pharisee and pub- 
lican was of such a nature that a child might see through it, 
and yet the oldest, most experienced mind might be instructed 
by it. There were other cases in which, though the common 
people may not have known exactly our Lord's meaning, the chief 
priests and Pharisees perceived clearly that he aimed at them, 
and were so enraged that they would have taken him to be 
put to death, but that they feared the people. This was the 



10 



INTRODUCTION. 



case with the parable of the husbandman and the vineyard. 
They understood it ay ell. It was not, therefore, spoken in a 
parable, lest they should understand it, for they did understand 
it. Indeed, our Lord's parables were generally of such a simple, 
plain, transparent, and exquisitely beautiful character, that they 
were a medium of truth like the very sunshine. The mind 
that could not or would not be instructed by them, must be 
blinded and hardened beyond expression. They were almost 
as simple as the methods used to define words in children's 
picture-books ; the well-drawn pictures, for instance, of a house 
or a ship, to show a little child the meaning of the words 
houses and ships. Words so defined never are forgotten. And 
truths put into such caskets as our Lord's parables, so trans- 
parently and beautifully illustrated, would never pass from the 
mind. They were like apples of gold in baskets of silver. The 
parables were truth in action ; they made the truth dramatic, 
made it live and move before the people. Doubtless many 
were brought to him for instruction by his parables, who would 
not have been gained in any common way. So that we can- 
not see how it is possible to entertain the supposition that the 
parables were ordinarily used to hide the truth, and not to 
illustrate it. Sometimes, indeed, they were much easier of 
understanding than at others ; so easy, that to hear them must 
have been to catch their meaning at once. At other times 
they were more difficult, and needed thought and inquiry; but 
our blessed Lord was always ready to expound them, and they 
were never difficult in regard to simple duty. 

In general, the people were so deeply interested in our Lord's 
parables, that sometimes in their eagerness they would interrupt 
him in the midst of them. Take, for example, the parable of 
the householder, and the ten talents committed to his servants 



INTRODUCTION. 



11 



as his stewards. When our blessed Lord came to that part 
in his narrative where he was describing what the lord of the 
house determined as the sentence of the slothful servant: 
" Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten 
pounds they were so absorbed in the interest of the story, 
and so quick to apprehend its progress, that, forgetting entirely 
for the moment their place as listeners, they gave way to their 
eagerness to have the parable square with their own wishes or 
expectations, and exclaimed in the midst of it, " Lord, he hath 
ten pounds already ; why give it to him ?" They could not 
wait for Christ to complete the narrative, but interrupted him 
with their own ideas of what was fit. Nevertheless, our blessed 
Lord went on regardless of the interruption, or rather added a 
new declaration in consequence of it, saying that unto him 
that hath shall more be given. He that makes a good use of 
what he has, shall have it greatly increased ; while he that 
wasteth his master's goods, or hides in indolence the talent 
committed to him, shall be stripped of all, even of that which 
he seemeth to have. The people were often impatient under 
teachings that contradicted their own views of things. But 
our blessed Lord always calmly went on arguing, reproving, 
illustrating, answering, with such a mixture of gentleness, 
love, patience, dignity, majesty, holiness, authority, absolute 
knowledge and power, that his very enemies were constrained 
to exclaim, " Never man spake like this man !" 

When our blessed Lord washed his disciples' feet, it was a 
parable in action. It was not done to hide the truth from 
them, but to illustrate and enforce it. It was a thousand 
times more forcible than if he had given them the most 
transparent, most simple, most direct precepts possible in re- 
gard to the duty of love. If he had related such a scene, as a 



12 



INTRODUCTION. 



thing which might be supposed, or had happened, it would 
have been very beautiful, but not a hundredth part so impress- 
ive as when he took the basin and the towel himself, and be- 
gan to wash his disciples' feet, and then sat down and conde- 
scendingly, sweetly, lovingly asked them, "Know ye what I 
have done unto you ?" He would have them expound the 
parable themselves in their own thoughts and convictions, and 
then he would tell them, As I have done to you, so do ye. 
So humbly love ye and serve ye one another. They never 
could have forgotten that scene, nor lost the meaning or the 
power of it to their dying day. In truth, it needed not to be 
explained^ but our Lord would enforce it, and add to it the 
power of a direct heavenly commandment. 

Just so it was with such a parable as that of the good 
Samaritan. It was impossible not to understand it ; it really 
needed not to be explained, but itself explained the truth most 
familiarly and forcibly. There were applications of it more 
particular, and less directly visible, and more pointed for cer- 
tain classes among the Jews, than the general application ; but 
nothing in it could be misunderstood ; and it illustrated com- 
pletely the truth our Lord was enforcing. And when closed 
with the simple question, by which the Great Teacher was ac- 
customed to make his hearers themselves apply and expound 
the truth, Which now of these three, suppose ye, was the neigh- 
bor of the man who fell among thieves ? there could be no 
avoiding of the lesson. But yet, in addition to all this, our 
blessed Lord would say, " Go thou, and do likewise." Our 
Lord evidently used such parables to prevent the possibility of 
being misunderstood. It was the teaching of light and love. 
It was as plain as the day. He used them, that if any man 
had any disposition whatever to hear, he might hear; and 



INTRODUCTION. 



13 



that they who, having eyes, saw not, might have all excuse 
taken away for not seeing ; might see plainly though not per- 
ceiving, and hear plainly, though neither understanding nor 
willing to be converted. 

In that beautiful series of curious and instructive things, 
which Christian saw in the House of the Interpreter, there 
were some of which he had to ask the meaning. There were 
others, which he understood as soon as he saw them ; they 
appealed so powerfully to his own experience that there could 
be no mistake. "Then Christian smiled, and said, Verily I think 
I know the meaning of this." Now the more humility there 
is in a man's soul, the wider and deeper experience there is, 
generally, to give the key of the Saviour's divine instructions, 
to respond to them with a delightful recognition of their mean- 
ing. When our blessed Lord says, " I thank thee, O Father, 
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things 
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes," 
he is simply rejoicing in that great, that merciful, that conde- 
scending provision of God, that ignorant souls, if humble, sub- 
missive, childlike, shall understand the mysteries of the king- 
dom of Leaven, when proud and learned souls see them not. 

The Spirit of God is the teacher of such souls, and not the 
mere letter; for the letter Mlleth, but the Spirit giveth life. 
And this ministration of the Spirit to the soul is glorious be- 
yond comparison ; and it enabled the apostles of Christ, when 
the season of that glorious dispensation was fully come, to use 
great plainness of speech, there being this Divine Instructor to 
go before them in men's hearts, to prepare the way for God's 
word there, and to be its interpreter. A thousand things may 
be said, and left confidently to work in the soul where that is 
the case, which could not be said, or must be said in a very 



14 



INTRODUCTION. 



different way, without that heavenly Comforter, Sanctifier, and 
Guide. The vail of blindness and darkness, which was upon 
the minds of the Jews in the reading of the Old Testament, 
and which, at this very day, where Moses is read, is still upon 
their heart, is done away in Christ. Let the heart but turn to 
the Lord, whether of Jew or Gentile, and the vail shall be 
taken away. And when that is done, we all, with open face 
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, shall be changed 
into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the 
Spirit of the Lord. 

The author of this book would speak, if it please God, to 
the multitudes. It has been his employment, in preaching, to 
scatter truth by the way-side ; and the familiar form in which 
he has learned to convey it, or has found it essential to be 
conveyed in speaking, he has desired to try in writing. Let 
no one accuse him of presumption in essaying a method, in 
which John Bunyan's supremacy of genius and success might 
seem to have shut up the region to all after-comers, warning 
them off as if by a stile and inscription, " Over this inclosure 
lies the way to Doubting Castle, kept by Giant Despair." Any 
man may indeed despair of coming within even planetary dis- 
tances of Bunyan's naming chariot; and yet, no man is justi- 
fied in burying his one talent in a napkin, because he has only 
one, while the man who went before him had ten. Let him put 
his talent to the exchanger's, and then, at his Lord's coming, 
he will receive his own with usury. This book needs only to 
be set in circulation, and it will find many interested and sym- 
pathizing readers, who will gather both instruction and excite- 
ment, spiritual and edifying, from its pages. 

G. B. C. 



CONTENTS. 



BOOK I. 

THE CITY LAID OUT INTO STEEETS — PKIDE, THE CAPITOL, EEECTED 
IN ITS CENTEE THE COUET OF HONOB THE COUET OF FASH- 
ION STEEETS OF LOVE-MONEY, MAN-WOESHIP, OEEDULITY, HY- 

POCEISY, ENVY, JEALOUSY, AND INGEATITUDE COMMUNICATION- 
ALLEY PAGE 19 

BOOK II. 

THE EESEEVOIE FOUNTAINS EIVEE OF DEATH ITS SHIPPING 

— ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY GATES OF INGEESS AND EGEESS 

TO WEES OF INFIDELITY, IDOLATEY, MOHAMMEDANISM, POPEEY, 

INTEMPEEANOE, AND IGNOEANOE 39 



BOOK III. 

EMBASSADOES FEOM THE COUET OF HEAVEN — ONE OF THE KING'S 
LEGATES ADDEESSES THE COUET OF HONOE — ADDEESSES THE 

DWELLEES IN LOVE-MONEY-STEEET SPEECH TO THE CEO WD AT 

THE BEANDY FOUNTAIN A CLAMOE EAISED ADDEESS TO THE 

INHABITANTS OF CEEDULITY-STEEET v . . . . 67 



BOOK IV. 

THE AEMY OF THE KING BESIEGE THE CITY CAPTAIN EUN-XEVEE 

LEADS THE VAN THE BEIGADES COMPOSING THE AEMY 

COUNCIL OF WAE COUNOIL ADDEESSED BY MESSES. STOUT-nEAET, 

HALT-BY-THE-WAY, VIM, MAN-LOVE, LOVE-LOVE, VALIANT, AND 
DIGNITY 141 



16 CONTENTS. 



BOOK V. 

A CONSTEENATION MEETING- HELD — ADDEESSES BY MESSES. SLY, 
SNAKE, TWO-EYES, GET, HYPOCRITE, C OME-TO -ICLMSELF, STUBBOEN, 
WDfK-AT-SIN, AND SMOOTH-THE-WAY — ADDEESS BY THE LOED 

KEEPEE OF THE TO WEE OF POPEEY THE LOED KEEPEE OF THE 

TOWEE OF IDOLATEY ALSO BY THE LOED EEEPEE OF THE 

TOWEE OF INFIDELITY ADDEESSES BY THE MASTEE OF THE 

EOYAL MINT — ME. YANITY, OF THE COURT OF FASHION — THE 
MASTEE OF THE AEMOEY, AND ME. GLLMMEE — THE AEMY OF 

EMMANUEL STOEMS THE CITY ME. EYE-TO-EYE IS SENT BY 

THE PEINCE TO ENCOUEAGE THE SOLDIEES, AND CONGE ATU- 
LATE THEM ON THE SUCCESS OF THE ASSAULT PAGE 265 

BOOK VI. 

ME. CONSIDEE, WITH A FEW OF HIS NEIGHBOES, LEAVES THE CITY 

PUESUED BY APOLLYON AND HIS BODY-GUAED THEY AEE 

SENT TO THE FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE ME. EITE SENDS 

THEM TO MOUNT CEEEMONY EESCUED BY THE KING'S MES- 

SENGEES — TAKEN INTO CAMP — GEEAT JOY — ME. YALIANT 
PEOPOSES A GENEEAL ASSAULT — GATES AND TOWEES ATTACK- 
ED — EESEKYOLK SET ON FLEE — CITY ENTEEED BY EMMANUEL'S 

FOECES BATTLE PAGES — CITY SHAKEN BY AN EAETHQUAKE, 

AND EYEEY TOWEE DEMOLISHED — A HAIL STOEM MINGLED 

WITH FLEE APOLLYON IS SEIZED AND LEONED, AND CAST INTO 

THE BOTTOMLESS PIT THE TEIUMPHAL AEMY MARCH THEOUGH 

THE CITY — THE JUBILEE OF A THOUSAND YEARS 301 



BOOK I. 



THE CITY BUILT. 



2 



THE CITY OF SIN. 

BOOK I. 

THE CITY LAID OUT INTO STEEETS — PRIDE, THE OAPITOL, ERECTED 
IN ITS CENTER — THE COURT OF HONOR — THE COURT OF FASH- 
ION — STREETS OF LOVE-MONEY, MAN-WORSHIP, CREDULITY, HY- 
POCRISY, ENVY, JEALOUSY, AND INGRATITUDE — COMMUNICATION- 
ALLEY. 

The City of Sin is built in the form of a circle. 
The streets, like so many radii, ran from the center 
to the circumference. Every street, lane, and dark 
alley is paved with human skulls. The walls, of 
great thickness and exceeding height, are built of 
human bones, cemented with blood and tears. 

Pride, which is the Capitol of this city, is a large 
and spacious edifice, located in its very heart and 
center. It is built in a cylindrical form, presenting 
a front to every street. At a distance, the walls 
seem of polished marble, rivaling the snow in white- 
ness; but, on a nearer view, they are evidently 



20 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



garnished with a very thin whitewash. Such is the 
capitol without. Within it is full of dust and filth. 
Swine and goats, from whom are emitted a very bad 
odor, are seen to go in and out at pleasure ; spiders 
weave their webs in its corners unmolested; the 
owl and the cormorant, the lizard and scorpion, the 
viper and serpent, year after year, hoot and hiss as 
they fly or crawl over its slimy walls and pavement. 

As there are no windows in the Capitol, a great 
number of bats flit about in Its darkness; while a 
suffocating stench impregnates the air, only to be 
endured by those who have been familiar with such 
disgusting scenes. Repulsive as it is, two courts are 
held annually in the Capitol. One is called the 
Court of Honor, the other the Court of Fashion. 
In the Court of Honor, Mr. Fear-of-a-laugh is 
sergeant-at-arms, Mr. Spite is clerk, and the devil 
is president, ex officio. Laws are here enacted, in 
relation to what is called the code of honor, regula- 
ting the sending and receiving of challenges, the 
choosing of weapons, and the meeting of the duel- 
ists : laws which have ever been a curse to the city, 
widowing the wife, orphaning the child, covering 
whole families with the sable weeds of mourning, 
and bringing down the gray hairs of many a father 
with sorrow to the grave. 

In the Court of Fashion, Mr. Lust-of-the-flesh is 
sergeant-at-arms, Mr. Lust-of-the-eye is clerk, and 



THE CITY OF SIN. 21 

Mr. Pride-of-life is speaker. Messrs. Vanity and 
Show are door-keepers. This court has two sessions, 
denominated the spring and summer, the fall and win- 
ter sessions. To support it, a heavy tax is levied on 
every citizen. No one is exempt from its payment, 
unless, indeed, they should go in a state of nudity. 
The shape of every hat, the turn of every collar, the 
cut of every coat, the curl of every mustache, the 
embroidering of every skirt, and the color of every 
kerchief, are all gravely discussed in their delibera- 
tions. There are two parties in this court. The 
modesty party occupy the seats on the right; the 
anti-modesty those on the left. The modesty party, 
led by Mr. Morality, are in favor of keeping up a 
fair show in the city. The other party, led by the 
devil and Mr. Lust-oi-the-flesh, are in favor of short- 
ening the dress, so that the ankles may be more 
exposed ; and beveling it at the top, to render visible 
the shoulder and bosom. The character of this party 
may well be conceived. 

From the dome of the Capitol you will have a com- 
manding view of the city. Here the streets and 
alleys, the gardens and villas, the bursting fountains 
and marble palaces, the gorgeous temples and tower- 
ing mosques, the minarets and spires, the fanes and 
cupolas, the brazen gates and ivy-crested battlements, 
the lofty walls and sky-reaching towers, burst upon 
the eye as in a panorama. 



22 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



The street that first strikes the eye is called Love- 
money. It passes, like the diameter of a circle, 
through the center of the city. At the head of the 
street is a colossal golden image, like unto that 
which Nebuchadnezzar set up. On its forehead is 
carved, in luminous capitals, "Mammon." People 
of all nations, kindred, and tongues bow before it; 
not at the sound of dulcimer or harp, but at the 
chink of dollars. The rattling of the car over the 
skull-paved street, the rush of unnumbered multi- 
tudes, the noise and din of babbling nations, like the 
breaking of foam-capped billows on the far-sounding 
strand, stun the ear, and almost stupefy the senses. 
As deluded mariners, borne down the rapids above 
Niagara, gazing at the rainbow spanning the cataract, 
heedless of the frantic waters that leap, maddening, 
from rock to rock, unconscious of the dangers threat- 
ening them, spell-bound sail on and on, charmed 
with the sparkling spray, the silver-tipped clouds, 
and the variegated tints of iris, until the writhing 
bark is dashed into the yawning abyss below; so 
myriads, charmed with the golden clouds that ever 
bend over them, are borne on and on, until they leap 
the cataract of death, and are lost in the pit that is 
bottomless. 

In this street you will see exhibited, in spacious 
bazars, the productions of every zone. The spices of 
Ceylon, the teas of China, the aromatics of Arabia, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



23 



the shawls of Cashmere, the carpets of Turkey, the 
silks of Italy, the woolens of Spain, the porcelain of 
France, the linens of Ireland, the wares of Britain, 
the furs of the North, the cotton of the South, the 
silver of Mexico, the gold of California and Australia, 
the ivory of Guinea, the marble of Egypt, and the 
diamonds of Omer and Golconda, are all here ex- 
hibited to the wondering gaze. 

Each side of this street is adorned with large and 
spacious buildings. The Merchants' Exchange is 
one of the most magnificent. It is built of marble. 
Here the worshipers of Mammon congregate, to pay 
their devotions, and to devise plans for increasing his 
revenue. About one mile of this street is taken up 
with bank buildings. They are mostly constructed 
of granite; and are well bolted and barred, and 
locked with ponderous keys. 

About one mile of Love-money-street is taken up 
with lofty structures, used for the sale of lottery 
tickets. Flags of ample folds are hung out in front, 
on which you will see inscribed, in golden capitals, 
" Large bargains are made here. Tickets, ten dollars. 
Highest prize, fifty thousand dollars !" But universal 
experience has shown that while one draws the prize, 
ten thousand draw the blanks. 

A little further down, the street is crowded with 
gambling-houses, where naught is heard but im- 
precations loud, the shuffling of cards, the roll of bil- 



24 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Hards, and the thunder of the nine-pin alley. There 
is a peculiar disease prevalent in Love-money, similar 
to the lock-jaw, only more to be dreaded, for it 
rarely leaves its victim. It terminates in the fingers, 
and if they once clutch a dollar, they never let go 
their grasp ; the tears of the orphan, the groanings 
of the prisoner, the sighing of the distressed, cannot 
extract it. Those afflicted with this disease may be 
recognized by their pale and emaciated cheek. A 
ghastly eye is sunk in its socket ; evidently the milk 
of human kindness is dried up in their breasts ; there 
is no chord of sympathy to beat in unison to another's 
woe. Love and mercy have taken their flight from 
their hearts. They drag out a miserable existence ; 
and at last, wrapping their cold, skeleton arms 
around their bags of gold, they die as they have 
lived, weeping bitterly for more gold to hoard. 
They are truly Mammon's anchorets, cherishing love 
to their god of gold, rather than love to that adorable 
creature that hovers, like an angel of mercy, over 
our cradle, watches over our waywardness, soothes 
the brow when wrung with anguish, pillows our 
dying head on her bosom, drops the last tear on our 
cheek, sighs the last farewell to cheer us on our 
journey through the dark valley and shadow of 
death, and cherishes our memory when the cold 
grave covers us. 

There are two particular markets in Love-money. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



25 



In the upper market, bawbles, gewgaws, and trinkets 
of every clime are exposed for sale. In exchange 
for them, men barter peace, happiness, health, repu- 
tation, and immortal souls. In the lower, the traffic 
is mostly carried on in human flesh and blood. Here 
the Turk, at the same time, procures a eunuch from 
Egypt to supervise his seraglio, and a beautiful Cir- 
cassian to be incarcerated therein to gratify his lust. 
Here the kings of Africa sell their own subjects for 
European trinkets; and here you will see parents 
selling their own children for filthy lucre. It is 
enough to make one weep bitterly when he beholds 
the multitudes crowding to these markets, and selling 
their " birthright for a mess of pottage," peace of 
conscience for trash, the future for the present, eter- 
nity for time, immortality for sensuality; bartering 
the approbation of God for the applause of bad men 
and devils, the robes of Christ's righteousness for 
filthy rags, the cross for a broken reed, the blood of 
the covenant for fire-water, the rose of Sharon for 
thorns to plant their dying pillow, the graces of the 
Spirit for fiendish passions, virtue for vice, knowledge 
for ignorance, love for hatred, the love of wife for 
the love of poison, the waters of salvation for liquid 
death, the bread of life for the second death, the Bible 
for a pack of cards, the church for the ball-room, the 
holy Sabbath for days of riot, sanctuary privileges 
for the brothel, the King's highway of holiness for 



26 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



the race-track, the music of the Gospel for the 
opera, the exhibitions of Calvary for the theater, 
and a triumphant exit from time for a miserable 
death-bed. 

Time would fail to tell of the busy multitudes that 
from time immemorial have occupied this street. 
Achan, who stole the wedge of gold and Babylonish 
garment ; Gehazi, who secured the changes of rai- 
ment and two bags of silver from the cleansed leper; 
Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back part of the 
price ; Judas, who sold his Saviour for thirty pieces 
of silver ; the avaricious soul that prayed Jupiter 
that everything he touched might turn to gold, and, 
receiving his request, found his food sticking in his 
teeth and throat, solid gold ; the philosophers who 
have toiled for ages to discover the stone by which 
all things touched would turn to precious metal ; 
Shylock and all his kindred ; Cortez, Pizarro, and all 
their comrades, lived and died in Love-money. 

The street that next attracts the eye is called Man- 
worship. The Temple of Fame is the most lofty 
structure on this street ; it is on the corner opposite 
the Merchants' Exchange, facing the Capitol. It is 
built after the Grecian style of architecture ; yet in 
the sundry repairs which have been made, the Co- 
rinthian, the Doric, the Ionic, and Gothic are evi- 
dently displayed. The dust of ages has settled on its 
cornices and entablatures, while the genius of an- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



27 



tiquity hovers over its towering dome. In this tem- 
ple multitudes of every color and of every dialect 
have assembled, not to worship one god, but innu- 
merable gods. This temple is, in fact, the Pantheon 
of the city ; the worshipers, the Poly theists ; and yet 
they do not bow before the sun, or high host of stars, 
or fish, or bird, or beast, or creeping thing ; but 
their devotion is impious man-worship. At one time 
it is a military chieftain, at another a statesman ; to- 
day it is an orator, to-morrow a poet. It matters not 
who is the god of the day, the altars smoke with the 
incense of adulation, and the vast walls reverberate 
with songs of praise as hymned by applauding multi- 
tudes. However zealous they are apparently in their 
devotions, they are very fickle as to the object of 
their adoration. To-day they will cry "Hosanna!" to- 
morrow, "Away with him!" To-day they will con- 
demn a Socrates to drink the juice of the hemlock ; 
to-morrow they will rear him an altar. This year a 
poet will be fed and caressed ; the next he will starve 
in a garret. This month the shrine of a philosopher 
will be crowded with attentive worshipers ; the next 
it will be abandoned. All around the temple you 
will see statues denuded, and covered with dust and 
cobwebs ; images of heroes, hurled from their pedes- 
tals ; altars that once smoked with the incense of 
sycophantic millions, broken and crumbled. Here 
and there you will discover the images of some an- 



28 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



cient worthies kept bright and clean. That of Aris- 
totle is well burnished, although thousands of years 
have rolled away since it was first set up. The 
shrines of Plato, Zeno, Solon, Lycurgus, JSschylus, 
Euripides, Sophocles, Pindar, and Virgil, have no 
lack of devotees. All the worshipers who have ever 
bowed in this temple, have been characterized by a 
burning desire to become supreme objects of adora- 
tion themselves. Hence the bickerings and jealousies 
among the devotees. Hence the broken altars and 
neglected shrines. Hence the untiring efforts of the 
worshipers to supplant each other. The idol of yes- 
terday is taken down to make room for the idol of 
to-day. The multitude shout Cicero, Pompey, Csesar, 
Brutus, Antony, as whim or interest may influence 
them. It is astonishing what sacrifices men will 
make to become the idol of an hour. The philoso- 
pher will starve for years in a garret ; the anchoret 
will banish himself to caves and rocks ; the traveler 
will endure the snows of Siberia, the icebergs of the 
polar sea, and the sands of Africa ; the warrior will 
slaughter a million men, and burn a thousand cities, 
in order that they may gain an entrance into this 
temple, and become the object of adoration to mor- 
tals. In fact, no tongue can tell what mountain 
waves of suffering men will buffet, if the world will 
bow down and worship them. Never are the watch- 
men who keep the city more at ease than when they 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



29 



can get the denizens to bow at the shrine of some 
false deity. Hence the success which has ever at- 
tended the impositions of false prophets. Hence the 
Turk, the Moor, and the Arab bow to the crescent ; 
the Persian, to the image of Zoroaster ; the dwellers 
in Siam and Ceylon, to the tooth of Boodha ; the 
subjects of the Great Mogul, to the shrine of Zamolx- 
is ; the millions of the celestial empire, to Confu- 
cius ; the Japanese, to the Grand Lama ; the Papist, 
to the Virgin Mary ; and the Mormon to the prophet 
of Nauvoo. 

About one mile of Man-worship is occupied with 
splendid palaces, erected by military heroes. The 
walls are frescoed with the most memorable deeds 
of the builders ; and although the dust and dampness 
of ages have passed over them, they are as bright as 
when they first came from the hand of the painter. 
On the walls of the palace once occupied by Alex- 
ander, you will see delineated an assemblage of ven- 
erable men voting, " If Alexander wishes, let him be 
god." On the walls of Vespasian's residence, you 
will see painted the death scene of the Emperor Ves- 
pasian, standing upright on his dying couch, support- 
ed by his courtiers, and exclaiming with his expiring 
breath, "I feel I am about to become a god." On 
the palace of the proud King of the Chaldees, you will 
see the King of Babylon surveying the grandeur of 
his capital, and saying, "Is not this great Babylon 



30 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



which I have built ?" A little further on you will see 
delineated on the walls of the royal palace once 
occupied by Herod, the king arrayed in royal ap- 
parel, declaiming to an applauding multitude, who 
shout, " It is the voice of a god." About two miles 
of Man-worship are taken up with buildings occupied 
by statesmen, orators, philosophers, poets, painters, 
sculptors, and play-actors. Some of the residences 
are costly and spacious, but they are mostly under 
mortgage. 

Credulity-street will next attract the eye, not from 
the splendor of its buildings, but from the uncommon 
appearance of its inhabitants. They are all charac- 
terized by a tremendous enlargement of the throat, 
and are distinguished for straining at a gnat and 
swallowing a camel. And they are all so well 
trained from infancy, that they swallow down with 
equal ease, ghosts, wizards, hobgoblins, and witches, 
as also the chimeras of sophists and the miracles of 
false prophets. Tou will find men living on Cre- 
dulity-street who believe that the earth is a fragment 
knocked off from the sun in the concussion of some 
run-away comet; that men and animals once grew 
like trees out of the earth ; that the stars are little 
apertures, where the gods look out on our naughty 
world. Here are men who believe Mohammed 
rode to heaven and back in one night, and that 
women have no souls. Here are multitudes who 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



31 



believe they possess fragments of the true cross, which, 
if gathered and piled, the mountain thus formed would 
manifest the tallness of their credulity. Here you 
will find great numbers who imagine that gold is 
potent in lifting souls out of the fires of purgatory, 
and that the forgiveness of sins is the prerogative 
of the priest. On this street are the dilapidated 
dwellings of necromancers, magicians, soothsayers, 
sorcerers, enchanters, and fortune-tellers. They were 
evidently built up at great expense, but they are now 
fast tumbling into ruins ; the excavations of men of 
science are undermining their foundations. Mor- 
monism, Millerism, and Mesmerism are swallowed 
down just now by thousands on this street. Here 
you will find men who strain at the narration Moses 
gives of the world's creation, and swallow down the 
dogma that it was the work of chance, or that noth- 
ing can create something. They strain at the earth 
turning on its axis once in twenty-four hours, and 
swallow the theory that the sun, moon, and stars 
travel billions of miles once in twenty-four hours 
around the earth. They strain at the miracles of 
Christ, and swallow the impossibility of twelve ig- 
norant fishermen fabricating the sublime scheme of 
the Gospel. They strain at the Balm of Gilead and 
the Physician there, and swallow an apothecary's 
shop of infidel absurdities. They strain at the idea 
of the Divine Spirit knocking at the door of the heart, 



32 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



and swallow the delusion that they can hold converse 
with the departed spirits of infidel scoffers. Finally, 
they strain at the Bible and swallow Tom Paine. 

Passing out of Credulity-street you will come into 
Hypocrisy-street. It is very broad and spacious ; the 
houses are all painted white. The steps are so care- 
fully garnished that you would fear to tread thereon, 
but stepping within you will fear still more from the 
filth and rottenness. The inhabitants take great care 
to keep their faces long and clean ; but their bodies 
and linen, like the inside of their houses, are full of 
all manner of uncleanness. An air of melancholy 
pervades the entire street ; solemnity is depicted on 
every countenance; even the children have caught 
the infection ; the smile of innocence, the joyous 
laugh, the sounds of merriment never salute the eye 
or ear. 

Contiguous to Hypocrisy is Envy-street. The 
houses are all painted green, the windows are filled 
with long glass jars, containing snakes of a greenish 
tinge. The dwellers on this street never smile but at 
another's misery, and never weep but at another's 
joy. They delight in wandering about the city, 
gazing at the ruin and wretchedness ; though, should 
they discover a newly-erected palace, or a new man 
rising from penury to affluence, from obscurity to 
fame, we are told that the snakes in the jars writhe 
and hiss, as if filled with extreme anguish. Cain, the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



33 



" first of woman bom," and the first to unfurl the 
banner of death, had lodgings in this street. Here 
you will see the coat of many colors, which- so ex- 
cited the envy of the brethren of Joseph ; the javelin 
which King Saul hurled at David, when the daugh- 
ters of Israel sang, " Saul hath slain his thousands, 
but David his tens of thousands and also the bed 
on which Themistocles lay sleepless after the victories 
of the hero of Marathon. 

Jealousy runs parallel with Envy-street. The 
houses are all painted yellow ; the inhabitants are so 
afflicted with a moral jaundice, that their eyes and 
countenances have received a saffron tinge. All the 
courtiers of the city reside on this street. Here, also, 
are the seraglios of the Turk ; the twang of the bow- 
string is often heard in this vicinity. Not a few of 
the inhabitants of this street have plunged the sui- 
cidal dagger into their own hearts. Many have 
poisoned the cup ere it has been proffered to a 
brother's lips. Here you will see the bed on which 
Desdemona lay when smothered by the jealous Moor. 
Near this street is the quarry from whence are taken 
the Iago whetstones. 

The street of Ingratitude will next command our 
attention. The houses are all painted black; but 
they are by no means as black as the hearts of those 
who inhabit them. That the sun should ever shine, 
or the rain ever fall on this street, is matter of aston- 

3 



34 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



ishment ; for here have lived those who have killed 
the prophets, and stoned the heralds of truth. Here 
lived and died an Absalom, who plotted the ruin of 
his royal father ; here an Alexander murdered Clitus, 
who saved his life at the battle of the Granicus ; here 
a Brutus stabbed Ctesar, who died exclaiming, "Et 
tu, Brute !" here a Miltiades was imprisoned by his 
own countrymen, after having wrought out for 
Greece her political salvation ; here Themistocles, 
the hero of Salamis, and Cimon, the conqueror of 
Eion and the Persian fleet, were banished. By the 
dwellers in this street Cicero was beheaded, after 
having saved, by his sleepless vigilance, their homes 
from the firebrand of Catiline. Here Columbus was 
loaded with chains, after having revealed to the Old 
World a knowledge of the New ; here Galileo was 
imprisoned, after he had revealed to the ken of mor- 
tals unnumbered worlds ; and here the Son of man 
was betrayed, having " brought life and immortality 
to light." In this street many a father has been led 
to exclaim, in the language of the prophet: "Hear, 
O heavens, and give ear, O earth : I have nourished 
and brought up children, and they have rebelled 
against me !" And many a parent, in bitterness of 
soul, has exclaimed, with King Lear : 

" Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend! 

More hideous when thou show'st thee in a child, 

Than the sea-monster ! 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



35 



How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is 
To have a thankless child!" 

The eye will now be directed to Communication- 
alley ; and from the name, and the fact that the post- 
office is located in this alley, you may imagine that 
it is a more enlightened part of the city ; but you are 
sadly mistaken, for on this alley reside all the slan- 
derers, backbiters, and calumniators, who spend their 
time in either hearing or telling some new or scan- 
dalous thing. The inhabitants of this alley are 
sorely afflicted with itching ears. Look out, if you 
take lodgings in this alley, lest you are robbed, not 
of your purse, but of your character. The laurels of 
the bard, the chaplets of the orator, the ermine of the 
'judge, and the robes of the priest, are ofttimes sadly 
bespattered by the dwellers in this alley. He is more 
than mortal who can come out unscathed from the 
furnace of calumny, which is kept constantly burning 
in Communication-alley. 

Thus, reader, you have taken a reconnoiter of some 
of the principal streets in the City of Sin ; and, as 
you have looked at the griping policy of Love-money, 
the idolatry of Man-worship, the rottenness of Hypoc- 
risy, the venom of Envy and Jealousy, and the black- 
ness of Ingratitude, can you not exclaim, Surely, 
every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts is 
only evil continually. 



BOOK II. 



THE TOWERS ERECTED. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



39 



BOOK II. 

THE RESEEYOIR — FOUNTAINS — EIVEE OF DEATH — ITS SHIPPING- 
— ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY — GATES OF INGEESS AND EGEESS 

TOWERS OF INFIDELITY, IDOLATEY, MOHAMMEDANISM, POPERY, 

INTEMPERANCE, AND IGNORANCE. 

As in all large and extensive cities there are burst- 
ing fountains, whose sparkling waters charm the eye 
and cool the air, so in the City of Sin there are several 
noted fountains, whose jetting spray attract the eye 
for miles. They are called Wine, Gin, Rum, "Whisky, 
and Brandy Fountains. They are supplied by a 
reservoir, commonly called a distillery. It is situated 
on a commanding eminence, overlooking the city. 
A cloud of smoke goes up from it, like that which 
rolls up from the lake that burneth with fire and 
brimstone. The bread of starving multitudes is 
thrown into the reservoir, and, passing through the 
worm of the still, (a worm conceived and brought 
forth by the old serpent,) and running through pipes, 
called brandy pipes, it bursts forth in sparkling jets, 
and is quaffed by deluded mortals. 

Around these fountains you will see piles of human 
bones, at a distance resembling the chalky hills of 



40 



THE CITY OF SI 1ST. 



England. Generation after generation have gone 
down and drank, and come up and died ; and their 
bones are left to bleach on the margins. Here you 
will see sons traveling right down, over the dead 
bodies of their fathers ; fathers treading on the bones 
of sons, as they urge their way down to the waters 
of death. 

To these fountains you will see coming, early and 
late, multitudes from all parts of the city, from 
blooming youth to hoary age. The advocate, when 
he would rescue his client from the iron hand of the 
law, too often goes down to these fountains, instead 
of drinking from the wells which a PufFendorif, a 
Grotius, a Blackstone, and a Kent have dug and 
walled up, after removing the rubbish of centuries, 
and penetrating the granite rocks of precedent. The 
orator of God sometimes visits these fountains instead 
of his closet, warming his heart with fire-water rather 
than with a live coal from the altar of heaven; draw- 
ing inspiration from the ruby wine, instead of quaff- 
ing the crystal waters that " make glad the city of 
God." The waters of Zemzem, the Pierian spring, 
the Castalian fount, and the wells of salvation are 
abandoned by myriads for these fountains of death. 
The culprit and the judge, the serf and the lord, the 
beggar and the banker, here meet as on a common 
level. The burning lava that rolled over Hercula- 
neum and Pompeii was never so fatal as the deluge 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



41 



of fire these fountains have rolled over the city ; fires 
that have sundered the cords that bound man to man, 
husband to wife, parent to child ; fires that have 
burned down the tree planted by the hand of friend- 
ship, blasted the flowers that bloomed in the garden 
of love, paralyzed the giant arm, palsied the eloquent 
tongue, and shattered the most resplendent intellect ; 
fires that have hardened in villainy and incrusted in 
crime the refined and virtuous, transformed man into 
a beast, lovely woman into a fiend. The lustful de- 
sires of the debauchee, the cankerous hunger of the 
miser, the insatiate thirst of the tiger, are not to be 
compared with the raging thirst engendered by these 
fountains. If one would be considered mad who 
should endeavor to quench the violence of fire by 
pouring oil on the spreading flames, how much more 
are those mad who attempt to allay their raging 
thirst by pouring these burning waters down their 
throats. As shipwrecked mariners find the more 
they drink the salt water the greater their thirst, the 
more their tongues and lips are parched, so multi- 
tudes ofttimes discover, too late, that drinking at these 
fountains inflames more and more the appetite, un- 
dermines the constitution, consumes the vitals, " sets 
on fire the course of nature," and burns soul and 
body down to hell. 

The eye will now be directed to the River of Death, 
which runs through the city. It rises at the foot of 



42 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the Mount of Transgression, and empties into the 
ocean of Eternity. It is navigable for vessels of 
every size. The figure-head on each vessel will often 
indicate the name thereof. A serpent twining around 
the body of a beautiful woman, is the figure-head of 
the ship Consumption. The Measles, the Mumps, 
and the Croup are clippers of the first class. The 
ships Fever, Plague, and Cholera are steamers, hav- 
ing broad and spacious decks ; and in order that they 
may be filled with passengers, a press-gang has been 
formed, under the supervision of Messrs. Glutton, 
Lechery, and Intemperance, who wander about the 
city at all hours, snatching now a sweet babe from 
its mother's breast, anon tearing the young wife from 
the fond embrace of her husband, whom they hurry 
on board some one of the ships, ready to sail to that 
"bourne whence no" mariner "returns." 

Great efforts have been made by the citizens to turn 
the river from the city; for this purpose channels 
have been dug in every direction, under the superin- 
tendence of Hippocrates, iEsculapius, Galen, and 
others, but with little or no success. 

In order that a knowledge of this river may be 
shut out from the people, stately edifices have been 
erected along its banks for the amusement of the 
populace. They are popularly called hippodromes, 
theaters, operas, and dance-houses ; but they are in 
deed and in truth the chapels of the devil, and inva- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



43 



riably lead to the chambers of the strange woman, 
" whose house is the way to hell." 

As a horror of great darkness has fallen upon the 
whole city, great efforts have been made by sages, 
sophists, moralists, philosophers, and transcendental- 
ists, to erect lamps in every street for the illumination 
thereof. Solon, Anaxagoras, Damon, Gorgias, Pro- 
tagoras, and Prodicus have poured the oil of their 
genius into lamps that threw out a few rays of light 
for a short time, but they soon went out for want of 
attendance. The Ionic lamp continued to burn with 
more or less splendor for full five hundred years. 
Thales, Anaximander, Socrates, and Xenophon were 
its replenishes. Near it the Cyrenaic lamp was 
erected by Aristippus, and replenished by Theodoras. 
A little further on the Megarian lamp was erected 
and attended by Eubulides and Diodorus. Near by 
are the Elean and Eretrian lamps ; they were erected 
by Phsedon and Menedemus. Lamps have also been 
erected in the Park. Plato, Zenocrates, Polemon, 
Arcesilaus, Lacydes, Evander, Carneades, Clitoma- 
chus, Philo, and Antiochus have toiled zealously to 
keep these lamps bright and luminous. The Peripa- 
tetic lamp was invented by Aristotle, and replenished 
by Theophrastus, Strabo, and Diodorus. The Cynic 
lamp was lit up by Antisthenes, and attended by 
Diogenes and Crates. The Stoic lamp was erected 
by Zeno, and replenished by Leucippus, Cleanthes, 



44 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Chrysippus, Antipater, Pansetius, Posidonius, and 
Epictetus. The Italic lamp was invented by Py- 
thagoras, and improved by Empedocles. The lights 
introduced by Heraclitus, Democritus, Pyrrho, and 
Epicurus burned brightly for a short time, but they 
soon went out for want of oil. The Transcendental- 
ists, seeing the impossibility of illuminating the city 
with the aforesaid lamps, have endeavored to intro- 
duce gas-lights into the city ; but they are very much 
disheartened of late, as they say the multitude are so 
stupid and ignorant they cannot appreciate their 
sublime mysteries. 

The gates of ingress and egress are by no means to 
be overlooked ; and while there are many gates of 
entrance, there is but one of departure, and that is 
the Gate of Repentance, kept by Mr. Restitution, an 
old gentleman who has been very much slighted and 
abused all his life. The principal gates of entrance 
are those situated at the foot of Man-worship and 
Love-money streets. There is also the Gate of Curios- 
ity, and the Gate of Revenge. The former is as old 
as the city, while through the latter many have enter- 
ed, forgetting that " Vengeance is mine, and I will 
repay, saith the Lord." 

The attention will now be directed to the towers 
which have been erected on the battlements for the 
defense of the city. The Tower of Infidelity is the 
oldest and most impregnable. Its foundation-stone 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



45 



was laid by Cain in the blood of his brother Abel. 
Messrs. Yanity and Egotism have been the master 
builders in rearing this structure. It has been in all 
ages the stronghold of Apollyon ; for when every 
other tower seemed to be shaken, and the whole city 
was reeling and tossing, as with a moral earthquake, 
he has fled with his champions to Infidelity, as his 
high tower. 

The first story was erected and is occupied 
by Atheists ; and although every spontaneous earth- 
born fountain, every sparkling rill and rolling river, 
every flower, leaf, and tree, every zephyr and ver- 
nal breeze, proclaim a God ; and while the floods 
clap their hands and shout, " A God !" and the trees 
of the wood break forth and sing, "A God!" and 
every star on its throne of light responds, "A God !" 
they inscribe on the flag which they hang out in front 
of the enemy, " There is no God !" 

The second story is occupied by Deists, whose 
eyes and ears are opened, but not their hearts; 
for they can see God as he is mirrored in nature, 
but they cannot feel, they do not know, God. To 
them the religion of Christ is a chimera of the brain ; 
the Bible, a bundle of tracts; its patriarchs, old 
men in their dotage ; its prophets, moon-struck mad- 
men ; its priests, designing knaves ; its apostles, artful 
liars; its martyrs, self-murderers : to them the truths 
of the Bible are fictions, its history fable, its beauty 



46 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



deformity, its sublimity bombast ; its commandments, 
promises, and hopes, so many ligaments by which 
millions are bound to the yoke of superstition. They 
are constantly hurling their iron balls at the Bible, 
from cannon molded in the found ery of human reason; 
but they remind one of an army of pigmies, endeavor- 
ing with pop-guns to crumble the Rock of Gibraltar. 

The third story in the Tower of Infidelity is occu- 
pied by Materialists. "With them all mental phe- 
nomena are matter sublimated. In their creed, the 
lofty conceptions of the sage, the acute reasoning of 
the metaphysician, the deep research of the historian, 
the demonstrations of the geometrician, and the thrill- 
ing words of the orator, are the vagaries of animals 
educated. "With them the elysium of the Greek, the 
gehenna of the Jew, the sensual paradise of Moham- 
med, the purgatory of the Romanist, and the intel- 
lectual heaven of the Christian, are but so many 
chains with which kings and priests hold the vulgar 
herd in thralldom. With them there is no more dif- 
ference in the minds of Bentham, Dumont, and 
Bacon, and the intellects of Hottentots, than there 
is between, educated and uneducated animals. And 
when life's drama shall terminate, and death shall 
drop his sable curtain upon us, all — the pure and the 
impure, the learned and the ignorant, the virtuous 
and the vile — will descend to the night of oblivion. 
Hence there will be no difference between Socrates 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



47 



and his murderers, Cicero and Catiline, David and 
Absalom, Nero and St. Paul, Herod and St. James, 
Gesler and Tell, Howard and Napoleon, Washington 
and Arnold, Lafayette and Eobespierre, Jesus Christ 
and Judas Iscariot. Hence, to them, there is no in- 
centive to virtue or patriotism; no encouragement to 
train the soul in temperance and self-denial ; no in- 
ducement to expand the mind with liberal study, 
when body and mind will so soon molder in the urn 
of forgetfulness. Therefore, chicanery and intrigue 
answer as well as honesty and uprightness. Tal-, 
leyrand and Walpole are as honorable as Burke and 
Franklin ; at least, as happy now. For, as music is 
produced by the vibrations of the strings of the viol, 
and ceases when the strings are broken, so the mind 
acts with the brain, and when that is destroyed its 
existence terminates. Hence, with them, present en- 
joyment is the chief good. To give a loose rein to 
passion, to regale the senses, to ransack the universe 
for objects to pander to their lusts, is the chief end 
of man. Hence, Hampden, Russell, Sydney, Penn, 
Eliot, Brainerd, Martin, and "Wilberforce, who 
sacrificed ease, home, friends, wealth, health, and 
life, for the political, moral, and mental enfranchise- 
ment of their fellow-men, were fools; while Henry 
the Eighth, Charles the First, Carteret, Byron, and 
Shelley have fulfilled the design of their existence. 
The fourth story in this tower is occupied by Shad- 



48 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



owists ; men who deny the existence of matter, and 
contend that all we see, hear, feel, taste, or smell, is 
ideal, and that whatever there is in nature, hard or 
soft, bitter or sweet, cold or hot, deformed or beauti- 
ful, is in the mind. Hence, without the ear there 
would be no sound ; without the eye there would be 
nothing to see in the whole universe. Therefore, we 
have it within ourselves to be hot or cold, happy or 
miserable, and, in fact, we make our own heaven or 
hell. Therefore, if iron is hard or snow soft, it is 
thinking makes them so. Hence, modesty, virtue, 
patriotism, philanthropy, charity, and chastity are 
naught but dreams. Adultery is nothing unless 
found out, and fornication is the dictate of nature. 
Hence, to sever the silver cords that bind man and 
wife, to put out the vestal fires of love, to crush the 
family altar, to tear away the associations that cluster 
around the fireside, to throw a blight and a mildew 
on the home of youth, to rob woman of her virtue, to 
fill the world with illegitimate children, without 
fathers to protect or mothers to cherish, are deeds 
perpetrated by those frantic dreamers. And is it any 
wonder, if men can be found who deny the existence of 
God, the validity of the Bible, the immortality of the 
soul, that they should deny the existence of matter, 
laugh at the blush of modesty, scoff at the beauty of 
virtue, and pollute the sanctity of the marriage bed ? 
The fifth story in the Tower of Infidelity was 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



49 



erected by Moralists. The stones used in the build- 
ing thereof were quarried from the rocks of Self-con- 
ceit. Here you will see men employed in sewing 
fig leaves together, to conceal their nakedness; 
others in washing and darning up their old, tattered 
rags of self-righteousness. Many are employed in 
hewing out cisterns ; and, though they have labored 
long and faithfully with the chisel of reason and the 
mallet of worldly wisdom, they have invariably hewn 
out cisterns which can hold no water. Instead of 
indulging in outward acts of vice, they descant 
eloquently on the dignity of human nature, the 
beauty of moral excellence, and the vast powers of 
the intellect, until they conclude that they are capa- 
ble of working out their own salvation. They 
acknowledge that a moral malaria permeates the 
entire city, that every breeze is pestiferous, and still 
they contend that by their own wisdom, might, and 
power they will be able to discover an antidote for 
their spiritual maladies. But so long as they con- 
tinue to use the pestle and mortar of old Mr. Carnal- 
security, it is doubtful if their labors are crowned 
with success. To them the balm of Gilead has no 
charms. They have no confidence in the fountain 
opened, in the house of King David, for sin and 
un cleanness. In vain the Son of God came down to 
die ; in vain he wept ; in vain he prayed, " If it be 
possible, let this cup pass from me;" in vain the 

4 



50 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



water and the blood flowed from his pierced side, 
they will not seek for an application of his blood to 
their own hearts. The banqueting table, loaded with 
the rich viands of mercy, may be spread before them, 
but they will not come to the royal feast ; the waters 
of salvation may flash before them, they will not 
drink thereof ; the rose of Sharon may bloom on their 
pathway, they will not pluck it; the manna of 
heaven may fall around them, they will not gather 
it, choosing rather to feed on the dry husks of a dead 
morality ; and, although they are covered with rags, 
they will not enter the wardrobe of the skies, nor 
take the wedding garment, choosing to live on blind 
and naked rather than bow down at the foot of the 
cross of an almighty Redeemer. 

The sixth story in this tower is occupied by As- 
senters. They believe in a God, but will not pray 
unto him ; in the Bible, but will not read it ; in the 
immortality of the soul, but will not train it for 
eternity ; that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh ; 
that the tabernacle of God is with men, but will not 
keep his law. If they are told of the certainty of 
death, the shortness of time, the vastness of eternity, 
and are urged to immediate repentance, to holiness 
of life, and the consecration of soul and body to the 
service of God, they acknowledge it all. They 
adopt the Fabian policy in warfare, and can never 
be brought to a close engagement. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



51 



The seventh story in the Tower of Infidelity was 
built up by Egotists. They exalt themselves above 
the Almighty, and declare if they had been members 
of his privy council, they would have advised him 
better, when he created the world. They would 
have made a world without chilling frosts, whereby 
men and animals are ofttimes frozen to death ; with- 
out devouring flames, by which their bodies and 
homes are consumed to ashes. In their world no 
tornado should devastate the fields ; no black-winged 
tempest should roll up the shipwrecking waves ; no 
lightning's flash should cause men to quail and trem- 
ble ; pain and disease should never rack their bodies ; 
the plague and pestilence should never open their 
vials ; death should never unsheathe his sword. On 
the contrary, the inhabitants should flourish in immor- 
tal youth, and the rose of health should ever bloom 
on the cheek. For thistles and thorns they would 
have lilies and violets; for the hiss of the serpent 
and the growl of the tiger, the song of the nightin- 
gale. 

But they do not realize that the intense cold of 
winter is necessary to freeze out the corruptions 
from the atmosphere, engendered by the heat of sum- 
mer; and if the fire sometimes burns the body, it 
was no more designed by its Author to hurt the 
body than the maker of the ax designed it to cut the 
feet or hands of him who uses it ; and if the tornado 



52 



THE CITY OF S 1 1ST. 



lashes the ocean into a tempest, and ingulfs the 
mariner, it is the violent undulation of the ocean that 
keeps it pure, and but for its constant action it 
would become a vast, stagnant pool, spreading disease 
and death at every exhalation ; and if the thunder 
utters its voice, it cleanses the air of its impurities ; 
and if disease and death had never entered our world, 
it would soon have become so full of inhabitants 
they would have trod one upon another ; and if ser- 
pents and venomous beasts are in the world, they 
occupy its most uninhabited parts, and retire before 
the march of civilization. 

The Tower of Infidelity has been filled in all ages 
with Eodomontadors, men who speak and write great 
swelling words. They have poured an incessant fire 
upon the encampment of the Church militant from 
their artillery, manned by Julian, Lucian, Machiavel, 
Spinoza, Hobbes, Blount, Yanini, Voltaire, Rousseau, 
Herbert, Collins, ]\Iorgan, Shaftesbury, Bolingbroke, 
Hume, Gibbon, Paine, Palmer, Carliie, Owen, Jen- 
nings, and Kneeland. But there has ever been more 
smoke and noise from the discharge of their cannon, 
than the iron ball of sound argument. In fact, if one 
should see the volumes of smoke, and hear the almost 
deafening report, he would tremble for the soldiers 
of the cross ; but when the dust and smoke roll away, 
he finds not a bone is broken, nor even the " smell of 
fire on their garments." On the top of the tower 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



53 



a flag-staff is planted ; on its banner is inscribed : 
" Jesus Christ an impostor, his disciples liars and 
knaves, the Bible a fable, virtue a chimera, conscience 
a bug-bear, death an eternal sleep, hell a scarecrow, 
heaven a dream." 

For the purpose of rendering the city still more 
impregnable, the Tower of Idolatry has been erected. 
It stands near the termination of Man-worship-street, 
and is sufficiently spacious to hold two thirds of the 
citizens. The first story is occupied by the worship- 
ers of the sun, moon, and stars. In the second story 
genii, lares, and typhons are adored, together with 
the elements, as water and light. In the third story 
stones, trees, fishes, serpents, beasts, and birds are 
worshiped. In the fourth story altars are erected to 
Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, 
Mercury, Neptune, Vulcan, Apollo, Janus, Thaut, 
Woden, and a host of others. Greece alone had 
thirty thousand gods, known and unknown. Before 
them bowed her great men and her mighty men. 
The sailor sacrificed unto them before he gave his 
sails to the winds of heaven ; the warrior consulted 
them before he led his troops to the charge; the 
bard invoked their inspiration as his fingers touch- 
ed the lyre ; the orator implored their aid when 
about to enchain the impassioned auditory ; and even 
Socrates, when dying, requested Crito not to neglect 
the offering of a cock to iEsculapius. The fifth story 



54 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



is occupied by Boodhists. In it are occasionally 
assembled one half of the population of the city. 
Here you will see the millions from Hindoostan, 
Siarn, Ceylon, and India ; the myriads from the 
Celestial and Burman empires, who bow to the triple 
form of Brahma — the images of Vishnu, Siva, and 
Foh. Some of the devotees you will see cutting and 
lacerating their own bodies, walking on sandals 
driven full of sharp-pointed spikes ; some pierce their 
arms and legs with red-hot iron ; others starve them- 
selves until they are scarcely able to drag their skele- 
ton limbs about, and finally immolate themselves in 
hopes of transmigration. The sixth story is filled with 
those who worship the creature more than the Creator. 
Here are men who worship their wives, women who 
worship their husbands, parents who make idols of 
their children. Here you will see a vast multitude 
who worship themselves : one man will worship his 
face because it is beautiful ; another worships his 
hands, because they are white ; one woman worships 
her feet, because they are small ; another her body, 
because it is symmetrical. Of all idolaters these are 
the most idolatrous. 

The Tower of Mohammedanism will next command 
our attention. It was erected four thousand six hun- 
dred years after the building of the city, and is both 
a rampart for defense, and a battery for hurling de- 
struction into the ranks of the armies of Immanuel. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



55 



In fact, the Towers of Infidelity and Idolatry had 
been severely shaken ; rays of holy light had pene- 
trated their chinks and crevices ; heathen altars had 
been overturned, and multitudes were fleeing from 
the city as from a falling ruin, and enlisting under the 
banner of the cross, when it was resolved to erect this 
stronghold of error. The rocks used for the building 
of this tower were dug, in part, from the quarry of 
Imposture, some from the ruins of the temple of J e- 
rusalem, and the remainder were stolen from the 
temple of Christianity. 

The first story in the tower is used as an armory. 
Here you will see the lance of the Tartar, the cimeter 
of the Turk, the javelin of the Persian, the halberd 
of the Saracen, the spear of the Moor, the dagger of 
the Algerine, and the dart of the Arab ; in fact, the 
walls are hung all round with helmets, shields, cui- 
rasses, bucklers, greaves, coats of mail, and all the 
implements of death. Here the followers of the false 
prophet in all ages have been equipped, as they 
have sallied forth to lay waste provinces and devas- 
tate kingdoms. 

The second story is used for seraglios and harems. 
Here, sensualism sits enthroned ; here, many a lovely 
maiden, torn from the arms of her weeping mother, 
has been imprisoned. No tongue can tell the many 
crushed and broken hearts, the bitter sighs, the burning 
tears, the wearisome days and nights these walls have 



56 THE CITY OF SIX. 

witnessed, as they have shut out the bright heavens, 
the vernal bloom, and the caroling of birds from the 
fair-haired Circassian. 

The third story is filled with men who believe that 
the more deceitful and perfidious they are in their 
intercourse with the enemies of the prophet, the 
greater will be their capabilities of sensual enjoyment 
in the paradise of the blessed; thinking that false- 
hood and treachery, if employed in combating Jews 
and Christians, will be approved by that God who 
is throned, and sceptered, and crowned with truth ; 
who has based the pillars of the universe in truth ; 
shaped every mineral, woven every leaf, painted 
every flower, and traced the pathway of every planet 
with his finger of truth ; whose empire is truth, his 
word eternal truth. Such a God, they imagine, will 
take them to his home of truth, if they battle with 
their enemies armed with the panoply of lies. 

The fourth story is filled with those who employ 
their time in contemplating the sensual enjoyments 
of Paradise. They look forward to the hour when, 
arrived at Al J annat, they will walk over mush or 
saffron-covered fields ; inhabit palaces built of pearls 
and jacinth; sit embowered under the foliage of the 
tree tuba, laden with dates, grapes, and pomegran- 
ates ; drink of water superior to the nectar of heathen 
gods ; and be perpetually ravished with the love of 
the black-eyed girls of Paradise. But they forget 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



57 



that the mind is the fountain of all enjoyment that 
can be perpetual, and that the pleasures of intellect 
are as far superior to those of sense, as heaven is 
higher than the earth ; and, also, that the God who 
has stretched out the North over the empty space, 
and hung the earth upon nothing, is supremely 
happy, and that his happiness is purely intellectual ; 
and, therefore, those who would be supremely bless- 
ed, must cut loose the cords of sense, and approxi- 
mate nearer and still nearer to the Eternal Mind. 

"We will now take a look at the Tower of Popery : 
a tower whose foundation stones are placed far down 
in the earth ; whose lofty dome pierces the clouds of 
heaven; whose massive walls, like certain rocks which 
are soft and ready to crumble when first taken from 
the quarry, but harden as they are exposed to the 
wind and rain, seemingly become more indestructi- 
ble as the winds and rains of centuries pass over 
them. Never did the devil and his champions exert 
themselves as they have in its erection ; and never 
have they succeeded so triumphantly : for while it 
presents an iron front to those without, it throws 
upon those within a spell more potent and transform- 
ing than the magic wand of Circe ; for she changed 
men into swine, but popery transforms men into fiends. 

The lower part of this tower is used for the cells of 
the Inquisition. Here you will see the racks and 
thongs used in extracting truth from the lips of her- 



I 



58 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



etics. Here are the ebon throne of the inquisitor-gen- 
eral, and the seats of his associates. On every side 
you will see the skeleton remains of those who have 
been either starved or suffocated in its airless cells. 
No tongue can tell how many innocent victims have 
been torn from the circle of friends and the warm 
home of love, to be thrust into these cheerless holes ; 
how many husbands have been snatched from their 
wives and children, to live in darkness while their 
distracted families die of want. And when one con- 
templates those who profess to be ministers of Christ 
tearing asunder with pulleys the tender frames of 
young men and maidens, roasting them alive on 
burning coals, applying the red-hot brand to their 
naked bodies, he is ready to ask, Are these men serv- 
ants of the God of heaven, or fiends of hell? and 
when they depart this life, will they hold fellowship 
with St. John and St. James, or with Surajah Doulah 
and Eobert Kidd ? 

The first story was built of rocks dug from the 
quarry of Superstition, and bound together with the 
cement of infallibility. It is divided into sundry 
apartments. The first room is large and spacious, and 
is used for holding councils. Here yokes are made 
for the necks, and gags for the mouths of those who 
inhabit the tower, so that it is almost impossible for 
one ever to escape, however much he might desire it. 

To the right is a spacious apartment called the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



59 



Vatican. It is used for keeping a beast, on whose brow 
is branded, in luminous capitals, " Ignorance the 
Mother of Devotion." The fiery bolts of Jupiter, the 
tap of the Indian drum, the tocsin of war, the roar of 
a thousand cannon, have never struck such terror into 
the hearts of the children of men as the bellowings of 
this beast. His eyes are like two red-hot balls of iron; 
his horns are stronger than that of the unicorn ; his tail 
is more terrible than the sting of a thousand scorpions ; 
a fire issues from his nostrils more to be dreaded than 
the eruptions of Vesuvius ; and his bellowing, like an 
earthquake's shock, crumbles thrones, rends kingdoms, 
overturns dynasties, and buries temples with their 
worshipers. And as mountains, oceans, and conti- 
nents present no barrier to the onward march of the 
earthquake, so he carries trembling and dismay 
to his enemies, however high the mountains rise, 
however wide the oceans roll, to separate them 
from the thunder of his power. "Woe to the king, 
and woe to the subject, who bring down upon them- 
selves his anathema maranatha. To appease his 
rage, the Albigenses have been massacred ; the Wal- 
denses have been scourged ; the Huguenots of France 
have been consumed by the burning chamber ; the 
horrid tragedy of St. Bartholomew's eve has been 
enacted ; the ashes of a "Wicliff have been exhumed, 
and thrown into the oblivious wave ; and a Huss and 
a Latimer have been bound to the stake. In fact, to 



60 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



trample on the neck of kings; to exalt the vile and 
abase the virtuous ; to give a loose rein to lust and 
to fetter the intellect ; to create darkness and destroy 
light ; to foster ignorance and imprison knowledge ; 
to dwarf the intellect of the many and educate the 
few; to starve the masses and feast the great; to 
frown upon the apostles of liberty and smile approval 
on tyrants and oppressors, has ever been his joy and 
crown of rejoicing. And when one calls to mind the 
myriads who have fallen victims to his rage, whose 
bones whiten the fields of every zone, he is ready to 
ask, Is this the religion of Christ ? Do I behold the 
successor of the Man of Calvary ? the vicegerent of 
God, or the Man of Sin, drunk with the blood of the 
saints and of the martyrs of Jesus ? 

The second story is divided into two apartments : that 
on the right is used as an exchange, or confessional ; 
that on the left, as a broker's office, for the sale of bills 
of indulgences. In the confessional you will see the 
debauchee, whose limbs are palsied with excess ; the 
extortionist, willing to part with a few pence to save his 
ungodly gains ; also the youth and beauty of the city, 
who whisper through little apertures, into the ears of 
priests, bishops, and cardinals, their aberrations from 
the pathway of duty, and then depart, one to starve for 
months, another to wear a hair-shirt for years. In the 
broker's office you w r ill see thieves, robbers, and har- 
lots, procuring bills of indulgence for future operations. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 61 

Over the entrance to this apartment is a catalogue 
containing the name and rate of every bill. 

For simony 10s. 6d. 

For sacrilege 10s. 6d. 

For taking a false oath 9s. Od. 

For burning a neighbor's house 12s. Od. 

For murdering a layman 7s. 6d. 

For laying violent hands on a clergyman 10s. 6d. 



The above is only a short extract from the long 
catalogue of crimes and vices that may be perpe- 
trated with impunity by those who procure bills of 
indulgence; for if one dies in the very act of rob- 
bery or murder, and has a bill with the sign and seal 
of the pope thereon, he meets with a ready admit- 
tance, and a warm reception into the company of the 
blessed. 

The third story is filled with machinery, which is 
used for raising souls out of the fires of purgatory ; 
it is worked by all orders of the hierarchy, day and 
night. There is one thing very peculiar about this 
machinery : the wheels thereof never can be made to 
roll, unless rimmed with gold. 

The fourth story is divided into two apartments : 
that on the right is filled with cells for the use of 
those virgins who wish to banish themselves from the 
world ; that on the left is filled with cells occupied 
by monks, friars, and Jesuits ; men who love dark- 



62 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



ness rather than light, thinking that stone walls are 
greater aids to devotion than the genial sun and the 
spangled heavens. 

The fifth story is filled with the images and relics 
of saints ; and also the retailers of the relics of can- 
onized saints. One has the hair, another the bones, 
which they will sell you cheaper than they ever sold 
them before. One cries up the merits of a certain 
saint, tells you he has only his thumb nail left ; if you 
wish his favor and protection, now is your only 
chance. Go there to-morrow, and you will hear the 
same story, for his thumb nail has been sold a thou- 
sand times before. 

The sixth story is used as a warehouse, and is filled 
with holy water, oil, salt, candles, bells, cowls, beads, 
breviaries, rosaries, pictures, banners, and garments 
of every hue. 

On the top of this tower a vast iron pillar has been 
erected, to whose base a Bible has been chained, on 
whose top four books have been placed, viz. : The 
Traditions of the Fathers, The Canons of the Church, 
The Decrees of the Councils, and The Bulls of the 
Popes. 

The eye will now be directed to the Tower of Igno- 
rance. It was erected for the purpose of shielding the 
citizens from the blazing missiles of truth, hurled from 
the catapultas of the belligerents. It is built in the 
form of a pyramid, the rocks are adamant, and are 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



63 



almost impervious to the engines of war. As it was 
constructed solely for defense, it lias no portholes, and 
therefore no ray of light can penetrate its darkness. 
"Within it ,is similar to a mountain cavern, being 
arched over with solid rock, and sufficiently spacious 
to contain, under its spreading dome, an innumerable 
multitude. Here superstition, bigotry, animosity, 
revenge, suspicion, envy, jealousy, hate, and malice, 
like so many furies, torment the indwellers with 
whips of scorpions. In this tower quacks, false 
prophets, necromancers, exorcists, astrologers, and 
fortune-tellers luxuriate, like cormorants and jackals 
on the carnage of the battle-field. Here you will see 
men who have eyes, but the torch of science and the 
lamps of heaven have never shot their holy light 
within reach of their intellectual ken ; they have 
ears, but no vibrations of the harp of truth, no re- 
sponses of the oracle of science, no lute-like voice of 
literature, and no sounds of the trumpet of the Gospel 
have ever broken on their mental tympanum. The 
tree of knowledge has never shot its branches over 
the wall with which they are encompassed ; their lips 
and hearts have never been touched by live coals 
from the altars of science and religion. 

On the other hand you will see men, who have 
lived all their lives within the shadow of the temple 
of knowledge, but have never crossed its threshold 
or entered its vestibule. The angel of truth has stood 



64 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



knocking at their door until his locks are wet with 
the dews of heaven, but they will not bid him wel- 
come with his intellectual repast. And though 
streams of poesy, eloquence, and religion roll around 
them, they will not drink, and live forever. They 
had rather eat the leeks and onions of indolence than 
drink the waters gushing from the rock smitten by 
the rod of industry ; and though the rich clusters of 
the grapes of thought are held out to them by a Ca- 
leb or a Joshua returned from spying out the promised 
land of intellect, they choose to wander in the wil- 
derness of ignorance, rather than scale the walls, 
and battle with the giants of opposition. 

You have now taken a survey of the streets and 
lanes, the gates and towers of the City of Sin, and 
can you hesitate to acknowledge that it is entirely 
given up to the domination of the spirit of evil? 
Does not every pulsation from its ulcerous heart, 
carry a moral virus to every extremity thereof ? 



BOOK III. 



THE EMBASSADORS ENTER THE CITY. 



5 



BOOK III. 



EMBASSADOES FROM THE COTJET OF HEAVEN — ONE OF THE KING'S 
LEGATES ADDEESSES THE COTJET OF HONOE — ADDEESSES THE 
DWELLEES IN LOVE-MONET-STEEET — SPEECH TO THE CEO WD AT 

THE BEANDY FOUNTAIN A CLAMOE EAISED ADDEESS TO THE 

INHABITANTS OF CEEDTJLITY-STEEET. 

The court of heaven has sent out, from time to time, 
embassadors to the City of Sin. They have been 
distinguished, not for the sagacity and intrigue which 
give success to a diplomat in the courts of earthly 
princes, but for a holy boldness, a burning zeal, an 
untiring energy, and an invincible courage in times 
of peril. No threats or sneers, no chains or fagots, 
or cold neglect could intimidate them. Every pos- 
sible effort has been made to drive them from the 
city. Starvation has been tried, but the God that 
feeds the young ravens when they cry, has made 
bread and water sure unto them ; the furnace has 
been heated seven times hotter than it was wont to 
be heated; but the form of the fourth has ever ap- 
peared walking in their midst. The den of lions has 
been opened for their reception, but the angel of the 



68 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



covenant has pitched his tent about them, paralyzing 
the paw of steel. 

Xo city of earth has been so highly honored by 
the distinguished legates who have visited it. Enoch, 
by the purity of his life and the radiance of his ex- 
ample, reflected, like the dew-drop, the image of 
his Maker, and then, exhaled, he went to heaven. 
ISoah walked through its streets and alleys for a 
hundred and twenty years, a preacher of righteous- 
ness, warning its denizens of the ruin impending 
over them. Lot, "whose righteous soul was vexed 
with the filthy conversation of the wicked," shone 
upon their darkness like the first flash from the 
storm-cloud, telling of the rain of fire soon to fall 
upon palace and tower. Moses, who, for vigor of 
understanding, honesty of purpose, and meekness of 
soul, had no equal among men, proclaimed by pre- 
cept and example, that The reproach of Christ was 
greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. Time 
would fail to tell of the many noble worthies who 
have offered the terms of pardon and reconciliation 
to this rebellious city. 

If you should visit the Capitol, you might per- 
chance, on some Sabbath morning, listen to an em- 
bassador thus addressing a concourse of men, who 
profess to guide their lives by the laws of the court 
of honor, from the text, " Overcome evil with 
good :" 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



69 



" My friends ! the great error of this city is the 
adopting as a rule of life, the maxim, 6 Overcome 
evil with evil.' The duelist, who calls himself a 
man of honor, not only blindly follows it, but the 
meanest and basest of mankind. The chief of some 
savage tribe, burning with revenge for some fancied 
affront, kills and eats his enemies, with a zest the 
epicure never knew. The king of a mighty realm, 
for an indignity put upon his embassador by a for- 
eign potentate, marshals his armies, and lays waste 
his kingdom. In the bazar, the shambles, the ex- 
change, and the cabinet of princes, this one principle 
underlies and overrules every act, ' You have defraud- 
ed me, I will defraud you.' 'You have tarnished 
my laurels,' says the poet ; 4 1 will therefore tarnish 
yours.' 'You have insulted me,' says the duelist; 
C I will therefore have my revenge.' Mohammed, 
believing that polytheism was an evil, seized the 
brand and cimeter to drive it from the world. 
Pagan Eome, believing that the faith of the Naz- 
arene was an evil, as 'pestilent as the breath of 
contagion,' thought to overcome it by the rack, the 
pillory, and the cross. Papal Eome, regarding Prot- 
estantism as an error more to be dreaded than the 
plague, hoped to extirpate it by erecting the dread 
tribunal of the Inquisition in every land. 

" When I survey the Tower of Idolatry, and behold 
the degradation of its inmates, I am ready to say, Let 



70 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



us take the battle-ax, and break down their bloody 
altars, and grind to powder their blind and dumb gods, 
burn their pagodas ; or, if I contemplate the igno- 
rance, the cruelty, and intolerance flowing from Mo- 
hammedanism ; or survey the indolence of monks, the 
celibacy and consequent licentiousness of the priests, 
the convents, and nunneries, the image worship, the fan- 
tastic ceremonies, and the cells of the Inquisition, which 
are fostered by the Man of Sin, I should be ready, 
acting on the principle of overcoming evil with evil, 
to burn every mosque and convent, and batter down 
the walls of the Inquisition; but burning wooden gods 
and nunneries would never turn the pagan from his 
idols, or the Papist from the darkness of Satan to the 
marvelous light of the Gospel, and, at the same time, 
I should be driving them further from the truth, and 
intrenching them firmer in their errors. 

" When I contemplate the evils which intemper- 
ance has rolled over the city, the hopes blighted, the 
affections crushed, the hearts broken, the characters 
ruined, the fortunes shipwrecked, and the long train 
of miseries attendant on this evil, at first I am ready 
to say, Let us burn every distillery, knock in the 
head of every rum-barrel, and break down every 
arsenal of the destroyer. But this would be acting 
contrary to the instructions of my King, which is, to 
i overcome evil with good therefore, I would ap- 
proach the rumseller with kindness ; an appeal should 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



71 



be made to his heart ; his understanding should be 
enlightened ; he should be entreated by his love of 
country, of man, and of God, to stop his work of 
death. If arguments drawn from earth, heaven, and 
hell, from time and eternity, were powerless, we 
should fly to the ballot-box ; men should be elected 
who would enact laws banishing the evil from our 
midst. If I turn my eye to the serfs and vassals of 
Europe, oppressed by lords spiritual and temporal, 
and think of those who traffic in human sinews, 
dwarfing the intellect, stultifying the moral sense, 
shutting out the light of heaven, chattelizing God's 
image, and brutalizing the souls and bodies of those 
for whom Christ died, guided by the principle prev- 
alent in this city, I should say, Let us arm for the 
rescue ; let us imitate the example of Leonidas, Timo- 
leon, Brutus, and Tell; let us butcher every tyrant, 
and proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all 
the inhabitants thereof. But methinks I hear a voice 
from heaven, saying, 6 Overcome evil with good ; go 
to the tyrant, and preach J esus and the resurrection ; 
tell him God made of one blood all nations of men, 
for to dwell on all the face of the earth ; that Jesus 
Christ tasted death for every man ; and as the slav- 
ery of the Roman empire melted away before the 
light of the Gospel, so, by the same power, the serfs 
and vassals of the present day shall be elevated to 
the dignity of men, and embraced in one common 



72 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



brotherhood. O'Connell, in his efforts to deliver his 
country from oppression, adopted the maxim, ' Not 
one drop of blood is to be shed in the liberation of 
the land ;' and instead of using the musket and 
sword, he cannonaded the ramparts of oppression 
with the iron balls of truth and argument ; and if his 
countrymen would follow this principle, we should 
have hope that the Emerald Isle would break loose 
from the centripetal power of Britain, and travel in 
the orbit marked out by the King of heaven, shining 
a luminary of the first magnitude, scattering the rays 
of genius, poetry, and eloquence all over the world. 

" Tou and I desire to kill our enemies. You kill 
your enemies with powder and ball ; I kill mine with 
love and kindness. Tou aim to pierce your enemies 
through the heart ; I kill mine by heaping coals of 
fire on their heads. Tou abandon your antagonist 
on the field of strife; I bind my enemy to my heart 
with indissoluble cords. Tou change your enemy 
into a dead and useless corpse ; I transform mine into 
a living and useful friend, to aid me in killing off all 
my other enemies. Tou leave the battle-field with a 
trembling step, while the death groans of your mur- 
dered brother ring in your ear; I depart with an 
elastic tread, carrying not only a sweet conscience, 
but my enemy a friend, as the spoils of victory. 
Tou are ready to reply by pointing to those professed 
legates of the skies, who have adopted a mode of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



73 



destroying their enemies diametrically opposite to 
that I now propose. You will perchance tell me 
that popes and cardinals have headed armies, fought 
battles, pillaged cities, and imbrued their hands in 
the blood of their slaughtered victims ; you will tell 
me of a Zwingle, who, forgetting that the kingdom of 
his Master was not of this world, and burning with 
indignation because certain of the Swiss cantons for- 
bade the free circulation of the word of God, girded 
on the sword, and marched to the field of strife ; that 
Luther drove Carlstadt from Wittemberg, for denying 
that the body and blood of Christ were really present 
in the Eucharist; that Protestant Geneva banished 
Castalio and Jerome Bolsec, and Calvin burned 
Michael Servetus for heresy. You. will tell me that 
the Puritans whipped and hung Baptists and Quakers, 
and that Christian nations have not only carried on 
war in every age of the Church, but at the present 
hour they have a greater number of standing armies, 
a greater number of line-of-battle ships, and a greater 
amount of the magazines of war, than all the nations 
of the earth combined. 

" But do you not understand, my friends, that when 
Christian men and Christian nations are guided by 
the principle of overcoming evil with evil, they are 
no better than the infidel and heathen, and bring 
down upon their heads the curse of God, who has de- 
clared, ' They that take the sword shall perish by the 



74 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



sword V But I show unto you a more excellent way. 
I point you to that army marshaled under the banner 
of the God of love, on which is written, in golden 
letters, £ Overcome evil with good.' Truly can we 
say, our arms are arms of love, our war is a war of 
love, our conquests are conquests of love, our triumphs 
are triumphs of love, and our ranks are filled with 
the champions of love, moving onward to a heaven 
of love. 

" I would point you to the example of the King of 
heaven, who, when the citizens of this city had 
trampled upon his mercies, revolted from his govern- 
ment, and, as traitors and rebels, had called down 
his vengeance, instead of mustering his troops, and 
arming himself with bolts of wrath, robed himself in 
humanity, and died for their redemption. Instead of 
binding them in chains of iron, and throwing them 
into an eternal dungeon, he has let down the golden 
chain of love, to draw them up to the palace of 
angels and God. Instead of letting fall the fires of 
justice to consume them, he kindles in their midst 
the fires of love, to melt their frozen hearts. "When 
he should have stamped upon them the brand of 
shame, he removes the scars of sin, and writes, - Go 
in peace, and sin no more.' When he should have 
given them wormwood and gall, he gave them the 
bread of life and the water of salvation. When he 
should have sent waves of wrath, he rolled over them 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



75 



waves of glory; ay, when they had robed him in 
scarlet, sceptered him with a reed, crowned him 
with thorns, and nailed him to the cross, he prays, 
with his expiring breath, 6 Father, forgive them ; they 
know not what they do.' 

"Perchance yon will reply to me by saying, Did 
not the God of glory avenge himself on his enemies ? 
The antediluvians would not hearken unto the voice 
of his messenger, and he rolled over them the waves 
of the deluge. Sodom and Gomorrah incurred his 
displeasure, and, instead of bathing them with the 
dew of his love, and raining upon them a rain of 
* mercy, he wrapped about them the sheeted fires of 
his wrath. Egypt rebelled, and he turned their 
rivers into blood. Israel murmured, and he sent 
among them the fiery flying serpents. 

"But do you not understand that God thus pun- 
ished his enemies to show to the world his hatred of 
sin ? On the other hand, did the waters of the deluge 
wash away the wickedness of the human race ? Was 
the world any better for the fires that consumed the 
cities of the plain ? Were the Egyptians any the less 
idolatrous because of the frogs and the lice, the dark- 
ness that might be felt, and the death of their first- 
born? Were the tribes of Israel any more holy and 
devout because they had gazed upon Sinai's flaming 
mount, and listened to the voice of the trumpet, wax- 
ing louder and louder ? Are the inhabitants of those 



76 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



cities which are often visited by the plague, shaken 
by the earthquake, or threatened by the volcano, any 
the less licentious, or any more honest and obedient 
to the laws of God? For four thousand years Sinai 
roared, and the angel of Justice swept the earth and 
sea with the besom of destruction ; but not till Mercy 
had fixed her throne on the rock of Calvary, and un- 
furled the banner of love, did the hearts of the 
children of men relent. From the hour the thunders 
of the law were hushed by the dying groans of the 
Son of God, and the fires of Sinai quenched in the 
blood of the Lamb, has the human race been growing 
wiser and better. 

"And now, my friends, the example of former 
ages is before you; you can either adopt the savage 
custom of those who have scourged, racked, and 
burned their enemies, or you can imitate the glorious 
example of the King of heaven, who forgave his 
enemies, and loved them with an everlasting love." 

Let us now behold the embassador, as he takes his 
stand on the steps of the Merchants' Exchange ; before 
him are assembled the bankers, the brokers, the usurers, 
and the misers, who inhabit the street of Love-money, 
while he thus addresses the thronged multitude. 

" ' Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, 
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves 
break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves 
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



77 



corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and 
steal: for where your treasure is, there will your 
heart be also.' 

" It requires but a slight examination of the affec- 
tions of the soul to discover that love is c sovereign of 
the ascendant.' It is the mainspring to every action, 
the locomotive moving the whole train of human 
effort, the sun and center around which every other 
emotion of the mind revolves. Some men it influ- 
ences to pursue the arts and sciences, for the very 
love of letters ; others it prompts to tread the dan- 
gerous path of war, 'seeking the bawble reputation 
even in the cannon's mouth ;' some it drives into the 
interminable wilderness to seek a home in the wild 
wood ; others love a home on the ocean's foam, while 
multitudes, guided by the love of money, toil day 
and night in laying up treasures on earth. This sus- 
ceptibility of the soul is a noble relic of the fall, a 
power planted in the heart by the King of heaven, 
in order that man might love his Maker supremely ; 
but it has been so perverted by the fall, that man 
now loves the creature more than the Creator ; hence, 
this power, which would have rolled the love of man 
in a channel up to heaven, is so debased by sin, that 
it now rolls his affections in a channel dug by the 
hand of selfishness. 

"This emotion is powerful in its development; as 
the vine twines its tendrils around the first object 



78 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



within its reach, perchance the thorn or thistle, or 
haply the oak, thus lifting itself heavenward, so the 
mind will love something; it will either twine around 
the poisonous weeds of earth, or, clinging to the cross, 
it will go up and take hold of the portals of the celes- 
tial city. Hence the infant loves its mother, whether 
she is a Mary Magdalene or a praying Hannah ; the 
patriot loves his country, whether the scathing fires 
of oppression have passed over it, or the dew and 
rain of liberty have dressed in living green its hills 
and valleys ; and the child loves to tread in the foot- 
steps of its father, whether he journeys in the danger- 
ous path of vice, or in the safe and shining pathway 
of virtue ; neither are the treasures to be condemned, 
for there is neither virtue nor vice inherent in gold, 
but I cry out against the taking the noblest faculty 
of the soul, and twining it around the lifeless, brain- 
less, and heartless idol of gold, when it should be 
employed in feeling after the mind of the universe. 
It is not the money, but the love of money which is 
the root of all evil. If the tree of evil has ten thou- 
sand branches, it has but one root, the love of money. 
It kindles the fires in yon distillery; it drives millions 
of serfs, half fed and half clothed, to work from day- 
light till dark ; it fills your city with theaters, broth- 
els, and gambling-houses. Under its influence men 
will cheat, lie, cringe, fawn, weep, groan, beg, steal, 
preach, pray, rob, and murder; some light up the mid- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



79 



night conflagration, to seize the plunder, caring not 
for the homeless thousands thus left to shiver in the 
cold ; others, for filthy lucre, go to the ' place of graves' 
at the midnight hour, and dig up the buried dead, 
regardless of the sanctity of the grave or the bitter 
anguish of mourning friend. "Why does the pirate 
fling his black flag to the breeze and traverse every 
sea, and plunge the knife into the heart of the aged 
sire and the trembling virgin ? The love of money. 
Why does the slaver hover around the coasts of Afri- 
ca, now sailing up one of its rivers, and, as night 
comes on, send forth its crew to seize the unsuspect- 
ing inhabitants, and hurrying them on board, cram 
them into the dark hold, some to starve and die 
while breathing the fungous air, and others who 
are so unfortunate as to survive the 'middle pas- 
sage,' consigned to a hopeless thralldom? The 
love of money. Why do the kings of Africa sell 
their subjects, and some of their subjects their own 
children, to the trafficker in human bones, knowing 
they will be borne thousands of miles from their 
homes and kindred, to groan under the yoke of the 
oppressor? and why do the white men of America sell 
the members of their own household, and perchance 
their own offspring, to be driven a thousand miles 
from the scenes of youth, the endearments of home, 
torn from the arms of a weeping mother, and the 
embrace of his wife and little ones? The love of 



80 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



money. "Why does the wealthy landlord turn his 
poor tenant out of doors, with his wife and children, 
to sleep on the stony pavement, canopied by the 
vault of heaven? The love of money. Why are 
multitudes in Ireland starving to death, while the 
lords spiritual and temporal fare sumptuously every 
day? Why did the British government wink at the 
cruelties of Lords Hastings and Clive, who coined 
the blood and tears of millions into gold ? The love 
of money. A passion that eateth like a canker, and is 
more insatiable than the bloodthirstiness of the tiger. 

"There are multitudes around me, who live for 
no other object but to lay up treasures on earth. 
Many would not break the command, 6 Thou shalt 
not steal;' but dayly break the command, 'Lay not 
up treasures on earth,' as binding as any in the deca- 
logue. Ifot but what men are to lay up a sufficiency 
for old age, to provide for their own families, to feed, 
clothe, and educate their own children, and have a 
capital sufficient to execute the business in which 
they are engaged. 

"The first argument I would urge, why we should 
not lay up treasures on earth, is, the more the 
treasures accumulate the more will they be like so 
many magnets drawing our thoughts away from 
God, and the vast eternity before us. The Author 
of our existence has endowed us with intelligence, 
that we might know him by studying his works 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



81 



as displayed in the moving and shifting scenery of 
heaven and earth. But how deplorably ignorant of 
that God who weighs the mountains in scales, and 
the hills in balances, must that man be who has bent 
the energies of his mind, year after year, in the accu- 
mulation of wealth. 

" Again, we are endowed with affections, in order 
that we might love our Maker supremely ; but the 
more our treasures accumulate the firmer are our 
affections glued to them ; for where the treasure is 
there will the heart be also. Hercules could as 
readily have disrobed himself of the fatal tunic which 
he received from the hand of Dejanira, as we tear 
our hearts from our treasures. As light moves in a 
straight line, as the needle tends to the north pole, as 
bodies when thrown up tend toward the earth, so 
does the heart tend toward its treasures. 

" The second argument is, earthly treasures gen- 
erate a false security in the heart of the possessor. 
The rich man is ever saying, ' Soul, take thine ease; 
thou hast much goods laid up for many years,' little 
realizing how soon the messenger Death will be 
knocking at his door, saying, 6 This night shall thy 
soul be required of thee.' Dives, when clothed in 
fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day, little 
dreamed that in a few short years he would be lifting 
up his eyes being in torment, crying for a drop of 

water to cool his parched tongue. Croesus, when 

6 



82 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



displaying to the Athenian traveler the gorgeousness 
of his palace, the splendor of his jewels, and the 
abundance of his treasures, never imagined that in a 
short time he would be bound on a funeral pile, 
exclaiming in deep anguish of soul, 'O Solon! Solon!' 
As the mariner lays himself down and sleeps in his 
hammock, dreaming the clouds rain gold upon him, 
while he is borne round and round in the eddies of 
a mighty whirlpool, so multitudes are borne round in 
the eddies of the maelstrom of death, dreaming of 
golden showers, until they are roused by the roar of 
that vortex which whirls them into eternity. 

"The third argument urged why you should not 
lay up treasures on earth is the precariousness of the 
investment. The rust may corrupt it, the robber 
may steal it ; or it may be said to you, Tour garments 
are moth-eaten, your gold is cankered. If you put 
your money into the bank, the bank may break ; if 
you build splendid mansions, the fire may consume 
them ; if you build ships, and float your treasures on 
the sea, the greedy sea may swallow them up. 

" The fourth argument is, the greater your treasure 
the greater your regret, when parting with it in a 
dying hour; for you brought nothing into this world, 
you can carry nothing out of it. Draw near the 
death-bed, and behold the man who has been for 
half a century wrapping the fibers of his soul around 
creature objects. He turns his eye for the last time 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



83 



over his waving fields, his shady walks, his blooming 
garden ; he orders his carriage to be brought to the 
door ; he is told he is dying, and cannot ride ; he 
repeats the command, and is obeyed ; he then turns 
to his weeping attendants, and says, c O, my children, 
I have had a comfortable home here, but I shall soon 
be homeless ; I have rode in that carriage, but I 
shall soon be a lone wanderer in the wilderness of 
hell ; I have drank the choicest of wines from yon 
sideboard, but I shall soon be crying for a drop of 
water to cool my parched tongue. O ! my houses 
and lands, my flocks and herds, my golden treasures, 
how can I give them up ? I cannot die ! I cannot 
die!' 

" The command, c Lay up for yourselves treasures 
in heaven,' will now demand attention. £ What,' 
says the objector, 6 do you pretend to advise us to lay 
up treasures in a land we have never seen, and a land 
of which we know nothing ? And as there is no 
communication by mail, or railroad, or steamship, or 
telegraph, with the City of Sin and the land of 
heaven, (if there is any such country,) how will it be 
possible to convey onr treasures there ? What com- 
modities are imported free of duties ? show us a 
sample of the trade of that country, and tell us what 
we can export from our city to that land, to the 
greatest advantage.' If a traveler should arrive in 
Timbuctoo, and announce to its citizens, that it would 



84 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



be for their advantage to lay up treasures in the 
Bank of England, they might reply, "We have never 
seen England ; there is no communication between 
our city and England, (if there is any such land ;) 
how, then, can we lay up treasures there ? The 
traveler might, in reply, tell them that there was 
such a country; that he had sailed a thousand 
leagues to arrive at their shores, and to convince 
them of the truth of his statement, he would only 
have to show them samples of the manufactures of 
the land which they had never seen before. 

"Now I tell you there is such a land as heaven; 
and to convince you, I have only to show you some 
samples of the productions of the country. The 
land is full of gardens, planted with trees of ever- 
green, called trees of righteousness. They are loaded 
with fruits; some bear virtue, knowledge, temper- 
ance, and brotherly kindness ; others yield the fruits 
of faith, hope, love, peace, joy, and mercy, produc- 
tions as new to this city as the ships and cannon of 
the Spaniards to the American Indian when first 
discovered by Columbus. Now there is this difference 
in the samples : the productions of Europe could be 
seen with the natural eye ; the productions of heaven 
are spiritually discerned ; and, therefore, the infidel 
objector, because he cannot see the fruits plucked 
from the trees of heaven with the eyes of his body, as 
the Spaniards saw the birds and plants which Colum- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



85 



bus brought with him, to demonstrate to all that he 
had discovered a new world, will not believe there 
is such a land as heaven. 

" But to show the objector the fallacy of his argu- 
ment, I ask him to walk with me to yon academy : 
we enter, and I inquire, Why was this building rear- 
ed ? What are these men engaged in ? I am told 
this is the seat of philosophy ; these men are engaged 
in the pursuit of wisdom. I answer, I never saw 
philosophy or wisdom, I therefore deny their exist- 
ence. We pass on a little further, and enter a 
spacious hall, and are told this is a school of 
law. I never saw law with my natural eyes, there- 
fore there is no such thing as law. We pass on, and 
enter a school of medicine, where men are learning 
how to alleviate pain. I never saw a pain, therefore 
there is no such thing as pain. ' But,' says my 
companion, ' although you cannot see wisdom, yet I 
can point to the pyramids, triumphal arches, tele- 
scopes, printing presses, and steamships, which are 
the legitimate fruits of wisdom : and so of law ; you 
cannot see it, but you can see the judges and sheriffs, 
the chains and the prisons, the eyes and hands of the 
law : and so of pain ; you cannot see it, but there are 
many who have felt it, and been delivered from it 
by the healing art : and so I say of religion ; you cannot 
see it with your natural eyes, but I can point to the 
asylums of the deaf and blind, the retreats for the 



86 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



insane, the hospitals for the sick and destitute, (you 
mil have to go out of the City of Sin to see them,) 
which are the legitimate fruits of Christianity. 

"Do you ask how we can lay up treasures in 
heaven? I answer, by feeding the hungry, clothing 
the naked, visiting the sick, relieving the oppressed, 
undoing the heavy burdens, and opening the prison 
to those who are bound ; by enlightening the igno- 
rant, reforming the abandoned, and seeking the lost ; 
by being feet for the lame, eyes for the blind, and 
opening your mouth for the dumb ; by comforting the 
widow, shielding the orphan, and drying the tear on 
the cheek of sorrow ; by opening your door to the 
stranger, your purse to the poor, and your heart to 
sympathize with the mourner; and by sending the 
Gospel into every land, which shall be a fire to 
melt chains and frozen hearts ; a hammer to 
shiver the thrones of tyrants, and crumble pagan 
altars ; a light to them that sit in darkness, and 
a well of water to the traveler on the burning 
deserts of life. 

<; I would urge you to lay up treasures in heaven, 
because every one has the same opportunity of in- 
creasing his treasures there, whether he is rich or 
poor, bond or free. In other words, the widow's 
mite is as acceptable, and as liberally rewarded, as 
the abundance of the rich. A cup of cold water, 
given in the name of a disciple, will receive a 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



87 



greater reward than thousands of pounds given 
for ostentatious display. 

" A rich man drops a dollar into the treasury of 
the Bible Society; it is converted into a Bible; 
that Bible is borne to South America; it falls into 
the hands of a young man whose mind has been 
bound with the fetters of superstition; he reads, 
and the scales fall from his eyes. Moved by the 
Holy Ghost, and commissioned by the Church, he 
goes forth to preach the unsearchable riches of 
Christ. Thousands are converted ; from those thou- 
sands hundreds are called to proclaim the jubilee 
of heaven. They traverse every vale, they climb 
every mountain, until the whole land is deluged 
with waves of light, of love, and of glory. Now 
from the Isthmus of Darien to the Amazon, from 
Chimborazo to Cape Horn, ten thousand altars 
flame with the incense of prayer and praise. 
Truly a dollar was never better invested ; and 
what an abundance of treasures will that man 
find when the King of heaven shall make up his 
jewels. 

"But the poor widow has not a dollar in the 
world; she therefore gives one penny to the Tract 
Society; it is transformed into a tract, which is 
carried to a garret in one of the dark alleys of a 
vast city. A young lad, who has seen better days, 
reads it, and led by its light to the cross, he catches 



88 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the healing streams of salvation, and by the washing 
of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, 
he is brought from the darkness of Satan to the mar- 
velous light of the Son of God, and continuing to 
perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord, he is at last 
called to go forth a champion of the truth to heathen 
lands. He finds his way into Tartary, and persuades 
its wandering tribes to give their wanderings over, 
and to pitch their tents no longer toward Sodom, 
but toward Mount Zion. Multitudes of Tartar war- 
riors go forth upon their swift-winged chargers, bear- 
ing, not the javelin and sword of steel, but the mis- 
siles of truth and the armor of righteousness on the 
right hand and on the left ; some, traveling over the 
mountains of Parthia, penetrate the solitudes of 
Siberia; others leap over the wall inclosing the 
celestial empire, not with the flag of Tamerlane, but 
with the banner of Calvary ; some sail up the Tigris 
and Euphrates, others down the Ganges and enter 
the domain of the great Mogul. Now the Talmud, 
the Alkoran, the Zendavesta, the Vedas, and the 
Shasters are exchanged for the Holy Bible, the tooth 
of Boodha for the cross of Christ, the car of Jugger- 
naut for the ark of the covenant, and the chains of 
caste for the golden cords of a universal brother- 
hood. Now the widow, instead of mounting the 
funeral pile to be consumed with the dead body of 
her husband, is consoled with that religion whose 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



89 



author has said, < I will be a father to the fatherless, 
and the widow's God and portion.' And multitudes, 
instead of going on pilgrimage thousands of miles to 
visit the shrine of Vishnu or Mohammed, begin to 
take up their march, with the redeemed of the Lord, 
for Mount Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon 
their heads ; while one standing on the summits of 
the Himalayas would be ready to sing, 

c See how great a flame aspires, 
Kindled by a spark of grace!' 

"A poor widow throws a penny into the Lord's 
treasury; it is turned into a spark of truth, which 
falls into the heart of a youth, who goes a flaming 
torch to the wilds of Tartary. Soon a nation is in a 
blaze, and now a continent is on fire ! O, what 
treasures has that widow laid up in heaven! The 
treasures of bankers, misers, kings, and potentates 
are but ocean's foam in comparison. Thus we see 
the poor and rich have equal facilities for laying up 
treasures ; the widow with her pennies can accumu- 
late as fast as the rich with his dollars. 

"The second motive I would present before you 
is the permanence of the investment. The bank of 
heaven, having the King of kings for its royal presi- 
dent, and angels for its directors, will never break 
down. The new Jerusalem is a city over which 
volcanic fires will never roll; the pestilence will 



90 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



never visit it, the tornado will never blow it down, 
the earthquake will never swallow it up, the corrod- 
ing tooth of time will never crumble its pillars, the 
thief and the robber will never enter within its gates, 
and the dashing waves of eternity's ocean will never 
undermine its foundation stones. The garments 
which you have washed and made white in the 
blood of the Lamb will never be moth-eaten ; the 
gold of thy diadem will never be cankered, and the 
stars in thy crown of rejoicing will never grow dim 
with age. 

''The third argument I present in urging you to 
lay up treasures in heaven is, that when you come 
to bid farewell to the scenes of earth, instead of 
leaving your treasures with deep anguish of soul, 
you will be going to your treasures. As the rich 
man in some Eastern city, having resolved to emi- 
grate to the far West, sends out his agent to buy up 
vast tracts of land, to cut down the forest trees, rear 
a splendid mansion, to plant his fields, to cultivate in 
his garden the choicest of vines and flowers, and to 
stock his farms with sheep and cattle, in order that, 
when he arrives, all things will be ready for his re- 
ception ; so with the man who has been laying up 
treasures in heaven ; he has no cords to bind him to 
earth ; his treasures have long since been transferred 
and invested in glory. He has no wine-cellar, no 
hoarded wealth, no wardrobe filled with moth-eaten 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



91 



garments, no vast possessions to allure him back to 
earth. He leaves his humble abode without a pang, 
and as he plants his feet on the banks of deliverance, 
he is hailed happy by the orphans he has shielded, 
the widows he has comforted, and by a vast throng 
whom he fed when hungry, clothed when naked, 
and visited when sick and in prison. He made 
himself friends with the mammon of unrighteous- 
ness; they now receive him into everlasting hab- 
itations. 

" A Nero, having rioted in luxury all his life, dies, 
leaving his scepter, throne, diadem, and untold treas- 
ures, to be caverned in eternal night, crowned with 
remorse, sceptered with infamy, throned in shame, 
and robed in lurid flames. The apostle to the Gen- 
tiles, having counted all things loss for the excel- 
lence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, his Lord, 
dies, and goes home to be crowned with righteous- 
ness, throned in love, sceptered with peace, and 
robed with light. 

" Leo X., having lived a sensualist, dies, leaving his 
palace fretted with gold, his garments bespangled 
with jewels, and huge piles of gold and silver, and 
goes down to eternal poverty. Martin Luther, having 
braved the thunders of the Vatican, and kindled a 
fire that will eventually burn down the house of the 
Man of Sin, causing lazy monks and friars to run 
away from it, like reptiles and vermin from a burning 



92 



THE CITY OF SIS'. 



house, also dies, and goes home to receive an eternal 
weight of glory. 

" O, what treasures ! what treasures will be re- 
vealed to Calvin, Cranmer, Wesley, Whitefield, 
Carey, Juclson, Howard, Wilberfore, and a host of 
worthies, who have exhausted their vital energies in 
efforts to better the condition of their fellow-men ! 

" Who would not rather die, like the sainted Fisk, 
singing, 

'There is my house and portion fair, 
My treasure and my heart are there, 

And my abiding home ; 
For me my elder brethren stay, 
And angels beckon me away, 

And Jesus bids me come !' 

than to die like the rich scoffer, who exclaimed, on 
his death-bed, 'I already feel the gnawings of the 
worm that never dies : the fires that shall never be 
quenched are consuming me V " 

*The embassador ceased; consternation was de- 
picted on many a countenance, in that vast throng 
of Mammon's worshipers. Many on that day were 
heard to say, like Zaccheus, " The half of my goods I 
give to the poor ; and if I have done wrong to any 
man, I restore him fourfold." The merchantman, 
who had been seeking goodly pearls, now resolved to 
sell all that he had, and to seek the pearl of great 
price ; and the miser pressed forward to obtain " gold 
tried in the fire." 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



93 



We are now to behold the embassador as he stands 
on the pile of crumbling bones, around the Brandy 
Fountain, and thus addresses the assembled throng : 

" Friends ! the Author of our existence has lavished 
innumerable gifts upon us. He has given us the 
day, with its mellow light, to render luminous our 
pathway ; by night he encampeth round about us 
with his tent of protection. He has given us spring, 
to melt with her warm breath the chains of ice from 
our lakes and rivers, to weave with her rosy hand a 
carpet of green, to cover our mountains and vales ; 
summer, with garlands of flowers and blushiug 
parterres ; autumn, with luscious fruits and golden 
harvests ; and winter, to robe the earth with its man- 
tle of snow, and to in crust the forest-trees with 
crystals of frost. He has given us the ox, with his 
strong muscles, to draw the plow ; the horse, whose 
neck is clothed with thunder, to bear us in our jour- 
neyings ; while he has sent down, as from the bowers 
of bliss, the birds of the air, to cheer us with their 
joyous carolings. He pours upon us his dew, as soft 
as that of Hermon. He fans our brow with zephyrs 
as bland as Favonian breezes. He has given us the 
ear, by which we are enabled to listen to the voice 
of friendship, the lute-like notes of love, the ravishing 
harmonies of the martial band, the music of the 
cascade, and the thunders of the cataract. He has 
given us the eye, by which we gaze upon the sloping 



94 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



landscape, the cloud-shouldering mountains, and the 
starry plains, where the silver queen marshals her 
troops, and leads out her glittering train. But the 
rich, the crowning gift is mind — mind that thinks, 
reasons, wills, sees, hears, feels, and is the grand 
sensorium of all enjoyment. As there could be no 
perception of colors without the eye, or sound with- 
out the ear, so there could be no consciousness of 
pleasure or pain without the mind. Take away the 
mind from the body, and in vain the organ pours 
forth its breathing harmonies, the ear cannot per- 
ceive them; the world might be full of odors, the 
olfactories could not enjoy them. Therefore, mind is 
the richest gift in our possession ; a gift far more in- 
estimable than Apollo's lyre or the club of Hercules ; 
for from the mind, as from a lyre, emanates the music 
of poetry and eloquence, causing, if not the rocks and 
trees to dance, the rocky heart to melt, and the tall 
oaks of Bashan to bow, and is a club to destroy the 
ISTemsean lion of intemperance, the Lernsean hydra 
of infidelity, and the Calydonian boar of ignorance. 
And is it not strange that man, with such a jewel in 
his possession, should ' take an enemy into his mouth 
to steal away his brains ?' If the thief takes away 
your purse, you hale him to the judge ; if the tyrant 
should attempt to rob you of your liberties, you 
would march to the battle-field. But the inebriate 
does not wait for the first summons of the enemy; 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



95 



he even holds out signals of capitulation, throws open 
the door, lets down the draw-bridge, and welcomes 
the foe within the citadel : an enemy that will rob 
him of his .virtue, endanger his innocence, sear his 
conscience, harden his heart, dethrone his reason, 
put out the light of genius, extinguish the fires of 
love, wither the parental and filial affections, impov- 
erish his estate, blast his hopes, destroy his health, 
alienate his friends, mar his peace, and shut up every 
avenue to happiness ; an enemy that found him with 
an elastic tread, a giant arm, an eloquent tongue, a 
luster in his eye, and the rose of health on his cheek, 
but will leave him with a tottering step, a palsied 
tongue, a nerveless arm, a bloodshot eye, a car- 
bun cled nose, a fetid breath, and a bloated frame. 
Being thus prepared by the tutelage of the 6 worm of 
the still,' he descends to an inglorious grave : and yet 
the drunkard, while living, never seeks to revenge 
himself on his enemy. 

"The bard of Avon tells us of a maiden who 
c never told her love, but let concealment, like a 
worm in the bud, feed on her damask cheek. She 
pined in thought, and sat like patience on a monu- 
ment, smiling at grief.' In like manner the devotee 
of Bacchus is so in love with his god, that he lets the 
worm of the still consume the bud of every hope, 
while he sits like patience on a monument, smiling at 
the woes which his faithless god has brought upon 



96 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



him. The maniac will laugh while he sees the 
chains forging that are to bind him down to his 
prison floor ; but the drinker at this fountain forges, 
with his own hands, the fetters which are to bind soul 
and body forever. It was after many tears and 
entreaties that Samson permitted the razor to pass 
over his head, thus delivering himself into the hands 
of his enemies, who put out his eyes, and compelled 
him to grind in their prison-house ; but the drunkard 
voluntarily throws himself into the lap of his Delilah, 
knowing that he will be shorn of his strength and 
manhood. Classic story tells us that Juno rendered 
Hercules so delirious that he slew his own offspring, 
supposing them to be the children of his enemy 
Eurystheus. But the waters of this fountain often 
render those who drink thereof so delirious, that they 
have not only murdered their children, but their 
fathers and mothers. 

" We read that the ancient Britons invited over the 
Saxons, to aid them in repelling the invasions of the 
Scots and Picts ; and when they were successful in 
driving the northern invader to his mountain home, 
they were enslaved by the very Saxons they had in- 
vited to their aid ; so multitudes, assailed by poverty 
and misfortune, apply to King Alcohol for aid ; he 
willingly affords them help, but, at the same time, he 
throws upon their necks a more galling yoke. 

" The poets tell us that when the Grecian armies had 



THE CITY OF SIN, 



97 



spent ten long years in fruitless efforts to force an 
entrance within the walls of Troy, they erected a huge 
wooden horse, and filling it with armed men, they 
left it before the gates as an offering to the gods 
within the city. The Trojans, not suspecting the 
stratagem, received it within the gates ; and as night 
came on, and sleep weighed down the eyelids of the 
wearied Trojans, the wooden horse disgorged its 
armed men, who rushed through the city, slaughter- 
ing the inhabitants and firing the palaces. So, I have 
thought, the grand adversary of souls, having labored 
in vain to force an entrance into the citadel of the 
good man's soul, throws himself into a brandy bottle, 
and getting into the mouth, he soon finds his way 
into the citadel, when, alas ! he robs him of his 
virtue, his honesty, and his peace of mind, and hav- 
ing, like the Grecian warriors, stolen the jewels, he 
fires the mental palace. 

" Therefore I would say to the man who drinks at 
this fountain, You are taking an enemy into your 
mouth that will steal away your honesty. ' An honest 
man is the noblest work of God, 5 but the drinker at 
this fountain is dishonest to his God, squandering the 
money, the time, the talents which he has consigned 
to him on commission ; he is dishonest to his family, 
ofttimes selling the bread from his children's mouths, 
and the bed from under them ; he is dishonest to his 
creditors, for instead of liquidating his debts, he 

7 



98 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



pours his money down his throat in the shape of 
liquid poison. In the next place he will steal away 
thy benevolence. Once you had a heart that could 
melt at another's woe, a hand to smooth the furrow- 
ed cheek of age, a purse to drive penury far from the 
hut of poverty, and an ear to catch the first sighings 
of distress ; now you are so steeped in selfishness, that 
the milk of humanity is curdled in your veins. The 
care-worn visage of your wife, your children crying for 
bread, the untold miseries of your fellow-men, are no 
more to you than the whistling of the wind ; a starv- 
ing nation may crave your aid, the heathen world 
may rend the heavens with the cry, 6 Come over and 
help us !' the great temple of liberty might tumble 
into ruins, you would heed it not, so long as you 
could drink at this fountain of death. 

"In the third place, he will steal away your con- 
science. Once you would not utter a falsehood, or 
cheat a little child out of a penny, or steal a pin for 
the world ; but now you can lie and cheat, and if your 
body is so broken down by the destroyer that you 
cannot work, and begging is fruitless, you can steal 
without any compunctious visitings of conscience. 
[Now you are ready to sell the Holy Bible, whereon 
your wife has pillowed her head when sorrow has 
filled her heart, on which you have promised to love 
and protect her, in which were chronicled the pledges 
of your love, and the departure of your kindred to 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



99 



the spirit-land. But conscience cries not, 4 Thou art a 
perjured villain,' for your enemy has stolen him away. 

" In the fourth place, he steals away your reverence. 
Once the fear of God was always before your eyes ; 
your delight was in the law of the Lord; in it did 
you meditate day and night ; you were ready to say, 
' O come, let us worship, let us bow down, let us 
kneel before the Lord our maker.' You could see 
God as he is mirrored in the book of nature and the 
volume of inspiration. The music of the Sabbath bell, 
the prayers and songs of Zion were sweet to your ear. 
But now the holy Sabbath, instead of being a delight, 
is a loathing. Tou have cast the law of God behind 
your back. You no longer direct your feet unto the 
courts of the Lord's house, but you are found walk- 
ing in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the 
way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of the 
scornful. 

" Again, he will steal away your memory ; that 
store-house in which you have garnered up the fruits 
of former years; the cabinet in which you have 
placed the minerals you have gathered from the 
hill of science; the casket containing the pearls of 
poetry, philosophy, and eloquence ; a power far 
superior to the magic wand of the enchantress, by 
which you can call up the scenes of former years. 
If the Egyptians could preserve for years the bodies 
of the dead in all their freshness and beauty, by the 



100 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



power of memory you can embalm your thoughts and 
conceptions, and preserve them in all their freshness, 
not only for time, but to all eternity. But having 
lost this power of the mind, you forget your wife wait- 
ing your return at the midnight hour, your children 
shivering in the cold, and your duties to your God 
and your country. 

" Again, he will steal away your reason, that attri- 
bute of the mind which assimilates man unto his 
Maker, and places him in contradistinction to the 
brute ; a power that guides him in penetrating the 
arcana of nature, threading the labyrinth of science, 
and exploring the ocean of thought. That power 
which enabled a Galileo to rend in twain the vail 
from the temple of nature, thus permitting man to 
gaze on its inner courts, flaming with light and 
glory ; by which a Kepler and a Newton read 
the laws enacted for the government of suns and 
planets ; by which a Fulton seized the chariot of 
Neptune, and rolled its silver wheels, not only over 
the mountain billows of the sea, but over the plains 
and hills of earth; by which a Franklin entered 
the home of the thunder, and walked through its 
blazing halls as safely as the Hebrew children in 
the fiery furnace ; and a power by which a Morse 
seized his pen from the lightning's fiery wing, and 
heralded his thoughts from the poles to the equator 
with the rapidity of a sunbeam. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



101 



" Finally, lie will steal away your imagination, and 
your taste for the beautiful and sublime. This power 
enables man, though in the hold of a slave-ship, to 
wander through vales as verdant as Tempe, to lux- 
uriate in gardens as joyous as the Hesperides. A 
power by which man can travel from star to star, 
from nebula to nebula, distancing even the comet in 
its rapid flight; by which the painter throws upon 
the unfolding canvas, the embattled plain and the 
bannered host, so that we fancy we hear the shout- 
ings of the captains and the clash of arms ; by which 
the sculptor compels the multitude to bow down and 
worship his images of beauty and grandeur; by 
which the poet can take ' the imprisoned soul and 
lap it in Elysium.' By it, Phidias entered the home 
of the gods, and bodied forth from the inanimate 
rock his Jupiter Olympus ; by it, Milton, while 
1 ever-during dark' surrounded him, gazed upon the 
billows of wrath and the bowers of Eden; by it, 
John Bunyan, while shut up in Bedford Jail, trav- 
eled on pilgrimage to the Celestial City. 

"And your enemy will not only steal away your 
brains, but he will kindle a fire within you, that 
shall consume soul and body in everlasting burnings. 
He stole away the brains of an Alexander, and 
kindled a fire in his veins which sundered the thews 
and sinews of his mighty arm. He stole away the 
brains of a Noah and a Lot, causing them to bring 



102 



THE CITY OF SI 2s. 



disgrace upon themselves and the cause of God. 
How often does he steal away the brains of the pilot, 
to whose wisdom was committed the guidance of the 
proud steamer; hence the wreck and loss of all on 
board. How often does he steal away the memory of 
the watchman when the incendiary is abroad ; hence 
the midnight conflagration. How often has he stolen 
away the reason of the judge, causing him to render 
an unrighteous sentence ; hence the widow appeals 
from ' Philip drunk to Philip sober.' 

" The man who should put out his eyes, and cut out 
his tongue, assigning as the reason for so doing, that 
he derived so much pleasure from hearing he desired 
no other enjoyment, and therefore he had concluded 
to shut up every other avenue to enjoyment, would 
be surely regarded as brainless. And what shall we 
say of the drunkard, who lives and acts as though 
there was no other avenue to enjoyment but by his 
throat ? He seems to forget that he is endowed 
with intelligence, that he may know God as dis- 
played in his works ; with a soul, that he may love 
him supremely with filial, fraternal, and paternal 
affections, which, if kept in healthful exercise, will 
be unto him constant sources of pleasure. X ow, it 
should be the object of every sane man so to cultivate 
his faculties that he may enjoy the greatest amount 
of happiness. We read of but one perfectly happy 
man, the primogenitor of our race. When Adam 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



103 



was placed in the garden of Eden, everything a wise 
and benevolent God could do to render him su- 
premely happy was done for him, He endowed him 
with reason, so that he could give names to the beasts 
of the field and to the birds of the air ; he curtained 
him with light, perfumed the air with odors, and 
rolled through his garden four rivers, to lave their 
green banks and to quench the thirst of man and 
beast. He gave him angels for attendants, and to 
fill up the cup of his happiness, and even to make it 
run over, he gave him woman, 6 Heaven's last, best 
gift to man.' 

"Now, how does it happen that there are no 
brandy or rum fountains in the garden of Eden, if 
they are such great adjuncts to human happiness ? 
According to the drunkard's idea of happiness, there 
was a great deficiency in Paradise. Is it not won- 
derful that the Maker of all things should give unto 
Adam shacly walks and angel attendants, singing 
birds and fragrant bowers, tropical fruits and ever- 
blooming flowers, and then forget to give unto him 
rum, gin, and brandy ? I verily believe if it was 
announced to the drinkers at this fountain, that the 
garden of Eden had been discovered, and its gates 
were thrown open, and all were invited to enter in, 
and there abide, shaded by the rich festoonery of its 
arbors, they would stop to ask if there was any rum 
river or brandy fountain in the garden? Perhaps 



104 THE CITY OF SIN. 

you are ready to say, The reason why we drink at 
this fountain is because we have been turned out of 
Paradise into this sorrow-stricken world. But, I ask, 
are there no other fountains, whose waters will drive 
away your sorrows ? Will not the fountain of Phi- 
losophy inspire you with greater courage to go forth 
in the battle of life, and also afford you more perma- 
nent enjoyment ? Drinking at this fountain gave to 
Socrates that serenity of soul, by which he was ena- 
bled to endure his troubles of a domestic nature, the 
vituperations of iiis enemies, the unjust sentence of 
his judges, and even to drink the poisoned chalice 
without a murmur. Drinking the waters drawn from 
the wells of philosophy enabled a Plato to forget the 
cruel treatment he received from Dionysius the 
Tyrant, who sold him into slavery at Egina. Drink- 
ing at this fountain gave to Cicero equanimity when 
overcome with misfortunes, his cherished hopes 
blasted, and the liberties of his country overthrown. 

" Then there are the wells of science ; will not the 
drinking of their waters be far more ennobling to the 
mind ? Have not a Newton, a Cuvier, a Boyle, a 
Boerhave, a Davy, and a Herschel lived and acted 
more like men, than those who have drank at the 
fountains of rum, gin, and brandy ? And what shall I 
say of the wells of salvation, gushing up with waters 
sweeter than Helicon or the Pierian spring ? Here 
drinking the mourner is comforted, the weak are 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



105 



made strong, the ignorant illumined, the wavering 
established, the abandoned reclaimed, the wanderer 
called back, the leper cleansed, the deaf hear, the 
lame walk^ the blind see, and all who hunger and 
thirst after righteousness are filled ; a well of water 
springs up in their souls unto eternal life. By 
drinking at the well of humility you will soon lose all 
the bloat of pride and vanity ; you will be reduced 
down in moral dimensions, like unto a little child ; 
and you will be ready to exclaim with the Psalmist, 
( What is man, that thou art mindful of him ; or the 
son of man, that thou visitest him V or with St. Paul, 
c Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is 
this grace given or with Wesley, 

' I the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me.' 

" By drinking at the well of faith, you will be able 
to live as seeing Him who is invisible, £ choosing to 
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy 
the pleasures of sin for a season; 5 you will carry 
about with you an internal evidence of things not 
seen, and walk on that high table-land, from whence, 
as Moses from Mount Nebo, you will look away to 
the green fields of eternal repose. 

" By drinking at the well of virtue you will derive a 
bravery not of earth. Bold as a lion, you will be 
ready to run through the troop, and to leap over the 



106 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



wall of jour spiritual enemies, ready to meet chains 
and prisons, fagots and flames, ready to welcome 
death, and to smile at the grave. 

u By drinking at the well of knowledge, the eyes of 
your understanding will be enlightened, the sack- 
cloth of ignorance will be torn away, the clouds will 
disperse, the shadows of error will flee away, so that 
you would not only see God as he ' glows in the stars 
and blossoms in the trees/ but as he works within 
you by his Spirit's power, to will and to do his good 
pleasure. Xow you will be ready to say with Job, 
' I know that my Redeemer lives ; 5 and with the 
apostle to the Gentiles, ^ For I know that if the earth- 
ly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a 
building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens.' 

" By drinking at the well of temperance, the rags 
will depart from your body ; penury and want from 
your habitation, discord from your family, the pallor 
from your cheek, the carbuncle from your nose, and 
redness from your eyes. Kow reason ascends the 
throne, conscience lifts up its voice, love kindles its 
vestal fires, hope rises like an autumnal star, mercy 
weaves her garland, the rose of health blooms on the 
cheek of your wife, and your children, no longer dread- 
ing your approach, hail your return, ' climbing the 
good man's knee the envied kiss to share.' I ask, there- 
fore, why tarry here any longer ? Come this moment 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



107 



to the fountains of life. Every hour you linger here, 
you are permitting another fold of the serpent to be 
coiled around you, a serpent more to be dreaded than 
the boa constrictor or the anaconda; tarry another 
day, and his voluminous foldings will be around you, 
crushing out the life of hope, and the life of love, and 
the life of God from your heart. 

"We are told that the Athenians were once com- 
pelled to make peace with their enemies, on the con- 
dition that they should send fifty beautiful boys to be 
sacrificed to the gods of their enemies ; but the god 
of this fountain requires not fifty, but fifty thousand 
to be sacrificed annually upon his altars. The canni- 
bal savage roasts and eats his prisoners of war, but this 
cannibal god literally roasts with fire-water those of 
his friends who love him most, and then devours them. 
Brahma kindles a funeral pile for burning widows 
with the dead bodies of their husbands, but Bacchus 
immolates upon his altars husbands and wives, parents 
and children, and together burns them slowly but sure- 
ly. Juggernaut has rolled the ponderous wheels of his 
car over thousands, Bacchus over tens of thousands. 

"Peter the Hermit fired with indignation kings 
and beggars in relating the desecrations which the 
infidel had brought upon Jerusalem, and led on a 
mighty host, who marched for the rescue of the Holy 
Land ; but here is a Saracen who desecrates soul and 
body, which should be fit temples for the indwelling 



108 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



of the Holy Ghost. And will you not arm for the 
rescue? Will you not listen to the mountain pile of 
skeletons around this fountain? for every bone has 
a tongue crying to you, Arm ! arm ! to the rescue ! 
drive away the destroyer, shut down the flood-gates 
of wickedness, take away the temptation from our 
surviving kindred, lest they also come to this place 
of torment. 

" Cicero, when he had discovered the conspiracy of 
Catiline, called upon the senators to banish him from 
the city ; now there are in your midst three conspira- 
tors, Rum, Gin, and Brandy, three as black-hearted 
fiends as ever came up out of hell ; they are plotting 
to overthrow your liberties ; they have lit a torch 
and kindled a fire that will not only burn down your 
temples and homes, but your bodies and souls to the 
nethermost hell, and will you not banish the conspir- 
ators from your city? It is said that Catiline bap- 
tized his conspiracy with the blood of a human 
victim, but this conspiracy has been baptized in the 
blood of a myriad human victims. 

" I have heard of a king who cut off the ears and 
cut out the tongues of his prisoners of war, and sent 
them thus mutilated back to their homes. But King 
Alcohol stops not when he has mutilated the body, 
but he puts out the eye of the intellect, stops up the 
ear of reason, sears the conscience, and runs the 
burning brand through the eloquent tongue. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



109 



" The slaveholder gives his slaves one suit of 
clothes yearly, feeds their children, nurses them 
when sick, and provides for them in old age ; but 
in this rum-slavery the slaves are reduced to rags 
as soon as possible, the children are left to cry for 
bread, the wife is abandoned in sickness without a 
nurse, and instead of being succored in times of 
trouble, they are abandoned by their master to suf- 
focate in the gutter, or freeze to death on the high- 
way in a cold winter's night. 

"I have read of the deluge that rolled over the 
millions of the antediluvians ; of the red flames that 
passed over Sodom and Gomorrah ; of the angel that 
slew in one night the first-born of man and beast in 
the land of Egypt ; of the overthrow of Pharaoh and 
his hosts in the Red Sea ; of the angel of death that 
slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the sol- 
diers of the Assyrians : I have read of the plague and 
the pestilence, as they have spread their raven wings 
over islands and continents ; of the tornado, as it 
sweeps over towns and cities; of the avalanche 
crushing everything in its course ; of the lava that 
rolled over Herculaneum and Pompeii ; of the earth- 
quake as it swallows up whole cities in the space of 
a few hours ; and I have prayed God to deliver me 
from ever witnessing such calamities. But here is a 
deluge, not of water, but of fire ; here are flames that 
wrap multitudes as in a winding-sheet of fire ; here 



110 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



is a plague that walketh in darkness, and a destruc- 
tion that wasteth at noon-day ; here is a fountain 
troubled not by the angel of mercy, but by the 
angel of death. I can truly say, if calamities must 
come upon me, let my covering be sackcloth and 
ashes, let wearisome days and nights be appoint- 
ed unto me, let my property take wings and fly 
away ; take from me the friends in whom I trusted, 
let my enemies triumph over me, but save me, 
save me from the bitter woes of the drunkard ! for, 
here drinking, I should be taking up my march for 
the poor-house, the jail, the prison, the mad-house, 
the gallows, and the bottomless pit. 

" Classic legend tells us that the gods gave unto 
Pandora every accomplishment ; Tenus gave her 
beauty, the Graces gave her the power of capti- 
vating, Apollo taught her to sing, Mercury gave 
her the power of eloquence, Minerva rich and splen- 
did ornaments ; but Jupiter gave her a beautiful 
box, which she presented to her husband Epime- 
theus ; he opened it, and therefrom issued a mul- 
titude of evils and distempers, which dispersed 
themselves all over the world; and from that fatal 
moment these have never ceased to afflict the human 
race. Hence, melancholy, grief, malice, envy, and 
remorse prey upon the mind. Hence, agues and 
fevers, chronic and rheumatic pains rack the body. 
Now, this legend is an Oriental myth ; it sprang from 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Ill 



the land of dreams ; but if it had told us that Pan- 
dora had emptied her box into the fountains of 
Rum, Gin, and Brandy, it would have been nearer 
to the truth; for whoever drinks at these fountains 
will find them full of distempers; insanity, delirium, 
regret, remorse, and madness are the disorders for 
the mind; palsies, cancers, and convulsions are the 
maladies for the body. 

" If I should tell you that an island had been dis- 
covered in the Pacific Ocean, possessing a fertile 
soil, a salubrious climate, interspersed with hill and 
dale, abounding in brooks and rivers, whose banks 
were studded with blooming villas ; that the inhab- 
itants were enjoying, in rich abundance, temporal, 
political, and intellectual blessings; but that in the 
center of the island a fountain had been discovered, 
whose waters threw a spell upon all who drank 
thereof, for the more they drank the more they 
wanted to drink; and should any one endeavor to 
tear himself away, he would be held spell-bound 
by the magic power of the waters ; and although 
he might know that the drinking of the waters 
would enervate the body, disorder the mind, pollute 
the soul, and impoverish his estate, yet such was 
the hallucination caused by the waters, he would 
drink deeper and still deeper draughts; and as the 
keepers of the fountain charged an exorbitant price 
for the waters, many had run through their estates, 



112 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



the poor-houses were full, the jails and prisons were 
crowded, the sheriffs were never idle, the people 
were overwhelmed with taxes, the houses near the 
fountain rotting down, the windows filled with rags, 
the barns leaking, the fences tottering to their fall, 
and all things having the appearance of desolation ; 
and if I should tell you that the intelligent portion 
of the community had persuaded many to keep 
away from the fountain, yet there were multitudes 
who, like the deaf adder, would not listen to the voice 
of the charmer, charm he ever so wisely, and that 
they had, therefore, endeavored to enact laws for 
the shutting up the fountain, but such was the influ- 
ence of the drinkers and sellers, they had met with 
but little success as yet, would you not call that 
fountain brandy or rum? and would you not think 
your case and that of the islanders parallel ? 

" We read that a certain man was possessed with a 
legion of devils, and may we not say that the box 
of Pandora has not only been emptied into these 
fountains, but that the legion of devils have been 
cast therein? For some, who drink here, are imme- 
diately possessed with an indolent devil, who tempts 
them to neglect their farms and their firesides; some 
are possessed with a prodigal devil, who hurries them 
on to squander their patrimony ; some are possessed 
with a fighting devil, who leads them on, not only 
to beat their enemies, but to whip their wives and 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



113 



children; others are possessed with the devil of lust, 
who entices them into all manner of concupiscence. 

" I would now address the keepers of these fount- 
ains; and I can assure you, I am somewhat embar- 
rassed for want of proper appellations. Shall I use 
the language of his Satanic majesty when addressing 
his peers in Pandemonium: 'Princes! Potentates!' 
And if that is giving you too lofty titles, you may be 
called the aids de camp of the devil, and faithfully 
do you perform the functions of that office; or I may, 
with more propriety, adopt the language of my King, 
when addressing the hypocrites of a former age : ' Ye 
serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape 
the damnation of hell V And when one contemplates 
the decorations with which the fountains are embel- 
lished, and the miseries within, he is ready to ex- 
claim : i Ye are whited sepulchers, beautiful outward, 
but within ye are full of rottenness and dead men's 
bones.' You have drawn around you the beauty of 
Venus, the charms of the graces, and the fascinations 
of Mercury, while the waters sparkle with the varie- 
gated tints of Iris; but like the serpent that draws 
with his spangles and spotted rings the bird within 
his mouth, so you exert all your charms to allure 
your victims; you proffer to all a rich bouquet of 
flowers, but within a dagger is concealed; your 
quiver is full of arrows, not only pointed and barbed, 

but, like those savages who pay no respect to inter- 

8 



114 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



national law, your arrows are dipped in poison; you 
wreath your victims with olive leaves, but vipers are 
concealed within; and do you reply, "We are licensed 
by government to keep open these fountains ; we pay 
into the national exchequer millions of dollars an- 
nually ; we keep in employ a vast multitude of 
constables, sheriffs, policemen, physicians, lawyers, 
apothecaries, coffin-makers, and grave-diggers, and 
if these fountains are shut up, the greatest source of 
revenue to the government will be dried up, taxes 
will be increased, multitudes will be turned out of 
employment, poor-houses, jails, and insane hospitals 
will be emptied, and we ourselves will be reduced 
to bankruptcy, our children will become beggars. 
But granting that you and your children will be 
reduced to poverty, would it not be better for you 
and your children to beg your bread from door to 
door, and die beggars, rather than go down to hell 
and beg to all eternity for a drop of water to cool 
your parched tongues? And as to your augmenting 
the national revenue, you increase the expenditures 
in a twofold proportion; you take two dollars out, 
while you are putting one into the national pocket ; 
and if you will agree to support all the paupers you 
make, pay for all the ships you cause the drunken 
pilot to wreck, indemnify the owners for all the 
houses you cause the incendiary to burn, pay for all 
the limbs you break, and support all the widows 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



115 



and orphans you make, then, and not till then, will 
we admit your argument to be valid. But is not 
the love of money the grand reason why you keep 
open these - fountains ? and I would have you remem- 
ber that he who lays up treasures on earth, is treas- 
uring up wrath against the day of wrath. Soon a 
voice will be heard saying, ' Go to now, ye rich 
men; weep and howl for your miseries that shall 
come upon you : your gold and silver is cankered, 
and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, 
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.' 

"The first settlers of America killed off their enemies 
by introducing the small-pox among the tribes border- 
ing on their settlements, but you kill not only your 
enemies, but your Mends and kindred, by dealing out 
waters inoculated with miseries and woes, diseases 
and death. 

"It is related that in Smyrna, certain vagabond 
Jews gather up the garments of those who have died 
with the plague, and send them by wholesale to 
Cairo, and there another set of Jews retail them to 
the citizens. Now if even a glove is worn, the 
wearer thereof will, in all probability, take the 
disease. And are you not wholesaling and retailing 
waters infected with plagues and distempers, epidem- 
ics and deaths ? 

" It is a noble work to feed the hungry and clothe 
the naked, but you feed men with that which is not 



116 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



bread ; you wrap about their souls and bodies gar- 
ments dipped in liquid fire. It is the work of Heaven 
to open the prison to those who are bound, to undo 
the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free ; but 
you thrust freemen into the inner prison ; you load 
men with the intolerable burdens of guilt and 
remorse ; you bind the arms of faith and the hands of 
love. It is godlike to open the eyes of the blind, 
unstop the ears of the deaf, and lose the stammering 
tongue ; but you put out the eye of reason, render 
men deaf to the cries of distress, and paralyze the 
most eloquent tongue. It is a work on which angels 
smile approval, to deliver the oppressed from the 
despot's power, but instead of imitating the example 
of Leonidas, Tell, and Washington, you go on, forging 
chains to hold in eternal thrall body, mind, and soul. 
And yet there is hope even for you. I have au- 
thority from the King of heaven to say unto you, that 
' When the wicked man turneth away from his wick- 
edness that he hath 5 committed, and doeth that which 
is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.' 
£ Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white 
as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall 
be as wool.' i For the times of this ignorance God 
winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere 
to repent.' 6 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' ' This is a 
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



117 



Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of 
whom I am chief.' c If any man sin, we have an 
advocate with the Father, Jesus ©hrist the righteous : 
and he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for 
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.' 
' And the Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and let him 
that heareth say, Come ; and let him that is athirst 
come ; and whosoever will, let him take the waters 
of life freely.'" 

The embassador, having descended from the pile 
of bones environing the brandy fountain, passed into 
the street of Credulity, and finding a concourse of 
people who spent their time in " hearing or telling 
some new thing," he addressed them from these 
words : " Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat 
and swallow a camel." Matthew xxiii, 24. 

" We can render ourselves ridiculous by believing 
too little, as by believing too much. The ancient 
philosopher, who denied the existence of matter, and 
contended that the universe was a shadow, and that 
there was nothing hard or soft, cold or hot, but in the 
idea, appears far more Quixotic than those philoso- 
phers who contend that mind is matter, and that 
matter is mind, and that the universe is God, and that 
God is the universe. The King of Siam would not be- 
lieve the English legate when told that the rivers of 
England were bridged over with ice, able to bear up 
chariots and horses ; but at the same time he be- 



118 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



lieved there were three hundred millions of gods, 
and in that number mice and snakes were to be held 
in peculiar reverence. Hence reason, and reason 
alone, should guide us in our faith. That religion 
which is not founded on reason is founded on the 
sand. The man who tells me to hoodwink my reason, 
and then believe his proposition, might as well tell 
me to put out my eyes, and then see. The lad who 
had been ridiculed for believing the moon story, ran 
into the opposite extreme, and disbelieved everything. 
Infidelity, having discovered that ghosts, apparitions, 
witches, and wizards are composed of the 'same 
stuff that dreams are made of,' comes to the conclu- 
sion, that therefore there is neither spirit nor angel, 
heaven nor hell; as well might one deny the stupend- 
ous discoveries of modern astronomy, because the 
claim of astrology to foretell future events by con- 
sulting the conjunction of the stars was found to be 
based on superstition, and as the horoscope had lost 
its charm, therefore the telescope should be thrown 
to the moles and the bats. In the same process of 
ratiocination, we should say, as heathen oracles had 
been silenced by the light of science, and the priests 
and diviners, the ceremonies and sacrifices of pagan- 
ism have been exploded, therefore the truth-speaking 
tongue of Christianity, the ordinances and precepts 
of the Gospel, were all a delusion. "With the same 
basis for an argument, one might say, as the efforts 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



119 



of alchemists to discover the philosopher's stone and 
the universal solvent have proved abortive, therefore 
the sublime discoveries of chemistry, revealing the 
true analysis of the earths and metals, and the gases 
entering into the composition of earth, air, and water, 
were the emanations of a splendid phantasmagoria. 
It is not safe to say, because a man has adopted the 
belief of several monstrous errors, therefore he has no 
truth incorporated into his creed. The Puritans be- 
lieved in witchcraft, and hung and drowned witches, 
therefore, says the scoffer, every other article of their 
faith has sprung from the dismal morass of supersti- 
tion. The adherents of the Man of Sin have believed 
it their duty to burn heretics, therefore every other 
article of their creed is equally false and cruel. The 
Mussulman believes that Mohammed was a true 
prophet ; he also believes there is one God ; now, does 
it follow that the last proposition is false because the 
first is? The Hindoo believes in the nine incarna- 
tions of Yishnu ; he also believes that two and two 
make four ; does it follow legitimately that this arti- 
cle of his faith is false because the first is ? Would 
we not pronounce a man insane who should affirm, 
that he who is wrong in one thing is wrong in every- 
thing ; and he who is right in one article of his faith, 
is right in everything he believes ? Guided by this 
principle, we should say, because Paine reasoned 
erroneously of the validity of the Bible, therefore his 



120 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



arguments in favor of the rights of man are equally 
weak and contemptible ; and because Gibbon and 
Hume have introduced some of their infidel dogmas 
into their immortal works, therefore all the political 
and philosophical truths which they have published 
are equally false. A man may believe that the earth 
is flat, that the moon is larger than any of the fixed 
stars, and yet have very correct views of the doctrines 
of Christianity ; or he may believe in unconditional 
election and reprobation, the indefectibility of the 
saints, and that episcopacy is divine, and still be 
rooted and grounded in the faith that works by love 
and purifies the heart. 

" Infidelity prides itself upon its intelligence, and 
laughs at the credulity of Christians, thinking that, 
because some of the advocates of Christianity have 
believed in ghosts and witches ; that the earth is the 
center of the universe ; that slavery is a Divine insti- 
tution ; that infants are damned for original sin ; that 
the heathen are not in a salvable state, all which the 
roll of ages has exploded, therefore every other arti- 
cle of their faith will, in time, be overthrown. 
Elated with the hope of destroying Christianity, they 
have rummaged the catacombs and deciphered the 
hieroglyphics of Egypt, and ransacked the archives of 
buried empires for documents to invalidate the chro- 
nology of Moses ; they have seized the hammer and 
pickax, and in their geological explorations of the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



121 



different strata of the earth they have endeavored to 
undermine the foundations of our hopes ; they have 
entered the laboratory of the chemist, and with the 
crucible and blow-pipe, they have attempted to evap- 
orate or blow away our faith ; they have gone up 
into the heavens, and have essayed to draw from 
thence thunderbolts to annihilate the Bible ; but they 
have been baffled in every effort, and have returned 
with fresh confirmations of the truth of our holy 
religion. 

" The first class of blind guides, who strain at a 
gnat and swallow a camel, are those who believe 
that, because the gods of former ages have lost their 
hold upon the world, therefore the God of the Bible, 
in the roll of years, will no longer be worshiped. 
As Dagon has fallen never more to rise; as the fire 
has gone out forever on the altars of Baal ; as Jupiter 
has been hurled from cloudy Olympus ; as JEolus has 
lost his chariot, Neptune his trident, Apollo his lyre, 
Cupid his arrows, Vulcan his forge, Bacchus his cup, 
and Mars his war-clouds ; as the multitude no longer 
cry, ' Great is Diana of the Ephesians;' as the mag- 
nificent temples dedicated to Pan have tumbled into 
ruins, and the shrines of Yelleda, Janus, Thaut, and 
"Woden are abandoned, and as the thirty thousand 
gods of Greece and Eome have fallen into the all- 
devouring maw of oblivion, therefore the Jehovah of 
Israel and the cross of Christ will, in a few centuries, 



i 



122 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



only he known as they are recorded in the page of 
history, and the Bible will nowhere be found but in 
some royal museum, preserved as a relic of the super- 
stition of former ages. "With the same data for an 
argument, one might say, As the race of mastodons 
and the monsters of a former age have become extinct, 
therefore the time will come when the horse, the ox, 
and all other useful animals will be swept from the face 
of the earth ; or, As the fire-ball whizzing through 
the air attracts the multitude for a moment, and 
then descending to earth, is forgotten forever, there- 
fore the sun and stars will soon fall to earth, only 
to be known as things that once occupied the atten- 
tion of astrologers and almanac makers. 

" The second class of blind guides are those who 
believe, because some of the adherents of Christianity 
are ignorant and illiterate, therefore all who name 
the name of Christ are contemptibly ignorant ; and 
they even have the temerity to tell us that the vota- 
ries of the cross cannot boast a single discovery in 
science, or one who has enlarged the boundaries of 
human thought. Who, I would ask, conceived and 
demonstrated the rotundity of the globe ? the man 
who, when dying, exclaimed, 6 Into thy hands, O God, 
I commit my spirit !' Who cleared away the drift- 
wood from the river of philosophy, and caused it to 
roil on in the channels of induction ? Sir Francis 
Bacon, the author of the 2sovum Organum, who 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



123 



firmly believed that the 6 sufferings of Christ are 
sufficient to take away the sins of the whole world.' 
Who discovered the laws governing the planets in 
their circuit round the sun ? Kepler, whose prayer to 
the Supreme Being breathes the profoundest humili- 
ty. "Who discovered the nature of light and colors, 
fluxions, and the laws of gravitation ? Sir Isaac New- 
ton, the rarest genius, the brightest ornament of 
human nature the world has ever produced ; a man 
that could never pronounce the name of God without 
a solemn pause. Who discovered the bases of the 
alkalies and earths, created the science of electro- 
chemistry, and gave to the world the safety lamp ? 
Sir Humphrey Davy, a man who could say, 4 1 envy 
no quality of the mind or intellect in others ; not 
genius, power, wit, or fancy ; but I should prefer a 
firm religious belief to every blessing.' And have 
not Erasmus, Johnson, Butler, Taylor, Baxter, Fiavel, 
John Howe, Robert Hall, and Adam Clarke enlarged 
the boundaries of human thought. Will not the 
chart of the moral world corroborate the assertion, 
that iii the same ratio the light of Christianity shines 
upon a nation, it is elevated in intellectual greatness ? 
Why are not canals, railroads, magnetic wires, and 
printing-presses the order of the day in Patagonia ? 
Why are not the banks of the Niger and Amazon 
studded with schools and colleges ? Why are not 
Tunis and Pekin as full of retreats for the insane, hos- 



124 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



pitals for the sick, and asylums for the blind, as Lon- 
don and Boston ? Why are fountains of knowledge 
gushing up in every hamlet in New-England ? and 
why are benevolent institutions in Britain and Ameri- 
ca rising up, like star flashing on star, to light up the 
coming jubilee of the world? and is not the answer, 
that in the former case they are destitute of the light 
of revelation, and in the latter they are basking in the 
holy light reflected from the lucid page of the Bible ? 

a The third class of blind guides manifest their 
credulity by believing that the God who gave 
wings to the birds would, as a natural consequence, 
give them an atmosphere to fly in ; that he who gave 
fins to the fish, would give them water to sw^im in ; 
that he who gave veins to the body, would give 
blood to flow in them; that he who made the olfac- 
tories, would regale them with odors ; that the God 
who made the ear and the eye, would ravish the one 
with harmonies, and give to the other a sufficiency 
of light : and at the same time they believe that the 
God who created the soul, gave it moral veins with 
no life blood to circulate therein; an ear, and no 
accents of mercy to fall upon its tympanum ; an eye, 
and no light to flash upon its retina. That is, they 
believe Almighty God will provide for the birds of 
the air, the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the field ; 
send his dew and rain upon the flowers, furnish food 
for the body, and light for the eye, and then aban- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



125 



don the soul to be shriveled and dwarfed for the 
want of light and food ; surely they strain at a gnat 
and swallow a camel. For these blind guides be- 
lieve, that as certain fathers labor day and night that 
they may build splendid palaces for their children, 
robe them in velvet and ermine, and furnish them 
with the richest viands, making no provision, mean- 
time, for their minds, so the Father Almighty has 
provided in great abundance for everything animate, 
for everything that crawleth, or walketh, or flyeth, 
or swimmeth ; and at the same time he has made no 
provision for the immortal soul. While we believe 
that the God who watches over the most insignificant 
weed of earth, giving it moisture, and rolling around 
it those influences which will develop it in the 
greatest perfection, has also given unto the soul the 
'true light, which lighteth every man that cometh 
into the world.' 

" The fourth class of blind guides are those 
who believe that a brainless nothing created the 
magnificent something which we everywhere be- 
hold. They can contemplate a thousand line-of-battle 
ships, with their streaming banners and flowing 
canvas, moving on harmoniously to the charge, 
or wheeling in the retreat, and tell us that nothing 
laid every beam, bent every knee, stretched every 
yard-arm, molded every cannon, and sits at the 
helm guiding every ship in the vast armament to its 



126 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



appointed place in the fight. They can survey the 
palaces and towers, the brazen gates and lofty walls, 
the fanes and cupolas of ten thousand cities, and tell 
us without a blush that they have all been reared up by 
the hand of chance. They can contemplate the sixty 
thousand species of flowers embroidering the surface 
of the earth, the innumerable insects, visible and invis- 
ible, filling the air, the glittering plumage of the birds, 
the weapons of defense given to the torpedo and sword- 
fish, the warm coats of fur given to the animals of 
the regions of frost, while a light drapery is thrown 
over those of tropical climes ; they can survey the 
bannered hosts when marshaled on the embattled 
plains of night ; some moving on in a solid phalanx, 
some standing as sentinels on their watch-tower, 
while others, as light dragoons, fly from one out- 
post to another on the eternal encampment ; yet in 
all their evolutions and revolutions no one impinges 
on the other; all obey the word of command, all 
keeping rank, move on in the lines marked out by 
the great * Captain, and after contemplating these 
wonderful works they will tell us that they are the 
result of the fortuitous coming together of atoms ; as 
well might they tell us that we could throw a num- 
ber of letters into a hopper, which, when ground and 
bolted, would come out in the form of a splendid 
poem, or a profound philosophical dissertation. 
Surely they are blind guides. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



127 



"The fifth class of blind guides believe that the proph- 
ecies which have been on record thousands of years 
prior to their fulfillment, are the result of chance, 
rather than of an overruling Providence. They can 
read the prophecy concerning Ishmael, declaring that 
he shall be a wild man, and dwelling in the presence 
of their brethren, his posterity shall never be sub- 
dued, and then turning to the page of history, they 
find that through all time the Arabs have maintain- 
ed their independence ; they have repelled the inva- 
sions of the Abyssinians, Persians, and Egyptians, as 
the rocky strand repels the waves of ocean. The 
vast armies of Sesostris, Cyrus, Pompey, and Trajan 
melted on their burning deserts like flakes of snow. 
They can read the prophecy of Jacob, in which he 
announces that the scepter shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until 
Shiloh come ; and although centuries rolled away, 
and ten of the tribes of Israel were carried away 
captive, and scattered to the four winds of heaven, 
and Jerusalem was ofttimes beseiged by hostile 
armies, the scepter did not fully depart from Judah 
till the star of Bethlehem glittered in the dome of 
heaven, and the herald angels announced to the 
wondering shepherds the advent of the Prince of 
Peace. They can read the prophecy announcing 
the terrible calamities to be poured out upon the 
children of Israel if they depart from the testimo- 



128 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



\ 



nies and ordinances of the Lord, as recorded in 
Deut. xxviii : i For thus saith the Lord, Thy heaven 
that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth 
that is under thee shall be iron: the Lord shall 
make the rain of thy land powder and dust, and 
thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and 
a by-word among all nations; and the Lord shall 
scatter thee among all people, from the one end of 
the earth even unto the other ; and ye shall be sold 
unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, 
and no man shall buy you;' and as they find that 
in all ages the Jews have been scathed and peeled, 
that one hundred thousand perished in the overthrow 
of Jerusalem, that five hundred thousand fell with 
Barchobebas, that they have been massacred by the 
Kings of Persia, robbed by the Tartars, impoverished 
by Tamerlane, stoned by the citizens of Beziers, pil- 
laged by the Polanders, mobbed by the English, op- 
pressed by the popes, scourged by the Dutch, and 
banished time and again by the Kings of Germany, 
Spain, France, and England ; and reading all these 
prophecies, and their fulfillment, they tell us it is 
all the work of chance. 

"The sixth class of blind guides are those who 
deny the miracles of the Lord Je3us Christ, and 
believe that twelve ignorant fishermen could fabri- 
cate the sublime system of ethics, as developed in 
the Gospel. They will not believe that Jesus Christ, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



129 



changed water into wine, cast out devils, opened the 
eyes of the blind, walked upon the sea, and raised 
the dead, yet they will believe that twelve men, igno- 
rant, having never drank of the fountains of sci- 
ence, or listened to the profound precepts of Grecian 
sages, or wandered through the grove of Academe, 
or held companionship with the master spirits of the 
ancient dead, could invent the Gospel of J esus Christ, 
the most splendid system of morals, the most magnifi- 
cent plan for restraining the vicious, cheering the 
disconsolate, raising the fallen, recovering the lost, 
enlightening the ignorant, and bettering the condi- 
tion of our race, ever published to the children of 
men. 

" If the Gospel is the work of man, why did it not 

emanate from the schools of philosophy ? Why did 

not Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Pythagoras, or 

Seneca give the Gospel to the world? Why did not 

Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Palmyra, Athens, Corinth, 

Pome, Mecca, or Bagdad, with their priests, sophists, 

sages, painters, sculptors, orators, and historians, 

furnish in the roll of ages a system of morals that 

would compare with the Gospel of the Son of God ? 

If a system of morals for curbing the passions of men 

must come up from the darkness of ignorance, why 

did not some Parthian, Scythian, Goth, Vandal, or 

Hottentot publish it to the world? Why have not 

the fishermen of Tyre, or the peasants of China, or 

9 



130 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the serfs of Eussia invented such a hero, and caused 
him to utter such sublime precepts as the fishermen of 
Galilee attribute to Jesus Christ ? Or, if it is to be the 
work of genius, why did not Cicero, who drank at 
every fountain of knowledge, bring life and immor- 
tality to light ? 

" On the other hand, I believe that the impress of 
Heaven is stamped on every page of the Gospel ; and 
truly did Rousseau declare, 'I would sooner believe 
all the miracles attributed to Jesus Christ, than that 
twelve fishermen could invent the sublime system of 
morals given us in the Gospel.' 

"Those men, who believe that the earth is flat and 
stationary, that it is in the center of the universe, 
that the sun, moon, and myriads of stars travel bill- 
ions of miles once in twenty-four hours around the 
earth, and repudiate the idea of the earth turning on 
its axis once in twenty-four hours, are blind guides, 
who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel ; but not 
half so blind as those who believe that ignorance 
can produce knowledge; darkness, light ; weakness, 
strength; impurity, holiness ; sin, happiness; nothing, 
something; that the effect can be superior to the 
cause ; the consequent to the antecedent ; that the 
stream may be sweet, though the fountain is bitter. 

" These blind guides would have us believe that 
twelve ignorant fishermen devised a plan surpassing 
all others for mollifying the passions, curbing the de- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



131 



sires, and melting away the icy crust of selfishness 
from the hearts of men, which has withered the 
roots of pride, torn off the robe of vanity, and ex- 
tracted the scorpion stings of lust and hate ; which 
has broken the power of superstition, overturned the 
altar of Mammon, and been as a scourge of small 
cords for driving out the traffickers in carnality from 
the living temple of the soul ; which has delivered 
men from the howlings of despair, the vulture talons 
of regret, and the serpent fangs of remorse ; which 
has turned away from our race the brand of infamy, 
the burning fires of shame, and the tortures of guilt ; 
which has rescued us from the domination of sin, the 
thralldom of Satan, and the vassalage of hell ; which 
has sundered the bond of iniquity, and bound up the 
crushed heart of humanity in the bond of perfect- 
ness ; which has removed the cup of gall, and prof- 
fered to our lips the cup of salvation. 

" They would have us believe that twelve men, 
ignorant of letters, invented a Hero, and published 
to the world a drama, which has been enacted for 
eighteen hundred years in all climes and languages, 
before kings and beggars, opening the fountain of 
sensibilty, revealing the thoughts and intents of the 
heart, causing the venal judge and proud despot to 
tremble and stand aghast; a drama which never 
palls upon the taste, or draws men to embrace vice ; 
which sages and potentates have witnessed, year after 



132 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



year, with increasing wonder and interest ; which 
has caused the ruffian and highwayman to exchange 
the ferociousness of the tiger for the gentleness of the 
lamb, the murderer and man-stealer to respect the 
God-given rights of their fellow-mortals ; which has 
transformed the mountain-homes of the Swiss into 
abodes of mercy, so that what the legions of Home 
failed to do in conquering their cruelty, this has done 
in rendering the transit of the Alps as safe as the 
highways of Xew-England; a drama, which has 
gathered the wandering tribes of Germany and Brit- 
ain into homes of peace and plenty, banded together 
the robber clans of Scotland, silenced the war-whoop 
of the Indian, crumbled the altars of the war-god of 
the Aztecs, and so surcharged the hearts of the can- 
nibals of isew-Zealand, that instead of roasting and 
eating their enemies, they are ready to embrace them 
with the arms of love and compassion. 

" If among the Indian tribes of Korth America a 
drama had been found surpassing all the productions 
of Greece and Rome, which, for originality, depth, 
power, and genius, should be as much superior to the 
dramas of Shakspeare as is the king of day to the 
light of a glow-worm, would we not look upon it as 
almost a miracle? And if, when translated into all 
languages, and enacted before all classes and condi- 
tions of men, it melted hard hearts into tenderness, 
allured men from vice to virtue, and so captivated 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



133 



the affections of the learned and ignorant that they 
chose rather to embrace fagots and flames than give 
up their love for its hero, would we not say, Surely 
this is not the work of ignorant men, but some divin- 
ity has inspired them ! Now, if Jesus Christ was 
not the Son of God, if his disciples did not speak and 
write as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, then 
we are to believe that the laws of mind, in their case, 
were suspended ; for it has never yet come to pass in 
the intellectual history of our race, that ignorance 
has produced knowledge. But in the drama of the 
Gospel we have an intellectual production as much 
superior to the Jewish mind as Paradise Lost is to 
the Caffir mind. According to this theory, we are to 
believe that pigmies can produce giants; that serfs 
can paint Madonnas; that men who cannot count 
their fingers can produce Principias ; that men who 
have lived all their lives in wigwams can build 
palaces ; that men in the interior of Africa who 
have never seen a ship or the sea, can surpass all 
the world in building steamships; that Hottentots 
are capable of surpassing Lord Eoss in constructing 
telescopes ; that those tribes who live in a state of 
nudity, and subsist on caterpillars, can invent steam- 
presses, magnetic wires, and sun-painting ; that Lap- 
landers could produce works superior to Dante's In- 
ferno, Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, and Camoen's 
Lusiad ; that the physical and intellectual dwarfs of 



134 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the Arctic have produced men of mental caliber 
superior to Pericles, Cicero, and Bacon, and that 
the fishermen of Galilee have given to us an intel- 
lectual production as much superior to the joint 
mind of their nation as Plato's Phsedon or Young's 
Night Thoughts to the joint mind of the dwellers in 
Ethiopia. On the other hand, we contend that the 
laws of mind and matter are eternal and unchangea- 
ble. Corn is not grown from thistles, lions are not 
the progeny of serpents. Nowhere upon the face of 
the earth was it ever known that an oak grew up 
from a thorn; nowhere upon the face of the earth 
was it ever known that savages living in mud-walled 
huts, built Gothic temples, adorned with the crea- 
tions of the sculptor and painter ; as well might we 
expect to grow magnolias from thistles sown on the 
deserts of Africa, as to look for sages among tribes 
ignorant of letters. Hence, if the Jews, instead of 
being mere children in science, had surpassed all 
other nations in scientific knowledge ; if the mental 
wealth of the nation had been as the diamond in 
richness and brilliance to all other minerals, then we 
might have expected from its scattered tribes an in- 
tellectual production that might compare with the 
Gospel in depth, power, and purity. 

" Finally, the laws governing man's moral nature 
forbid the supposition that the Gospel is the work of 
the fishermen of Galilee. It is a law of our being, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



135 



that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 
speaketh. The man whose heart is full of poetry- 
will talk poetry; if full of money, he will talk of 
money; if full of uncleanness, hatred, and revenge, 
the same will flow out of his lips. It is also true that 
the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; the 
history of our race corroborates the word of God, 
which declares of man that the poison of asps is 
under his lips, his throat an open sepulcher, and 
his feet swift to shed blood. Hence there is hardly 
a vale or hill-top of our globe but has been the scene 
of war, and £ garments rolled in blood.' Hence the 
writings of unrenewed men breathe a spirit of envy, 
pride, impurity, and revenge. I would as soon go to 
the Dead Sea for sweet and wholesome waters, as to 
go to the unrenewed heart of man for the sweet 
waters of humility and forgiveness. I am told, per- 
chance, that there is a splendor and brilliance unsur- 
passed in the works of pagan and infidel writers; 
very true, but a pest-house is none the less pestilent 
and dangerous to life and health, though it has a mar- 
ble front, and a roof fretted with gold. The gilded 
and towering mausoleum is full of rottenness and 
corruption within ; in like manner their writings are 
gorgeous and towering, but they never teach men to 
love their enemies, nor to pray for those who evilly 
entreat them. Therefore, a book which teaches men 
that humility is the first stepping-stone to true great- 



136 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



ness, that gentleness, patience, mercy, long-suffering, 
and forgiveness are the golden rounds of that ladder 
whose top reacheth unto heaven ; lessons so contrary 
to the teachings of classic Greece and Rome, so con- 
trary to the practice of the poets and sages of ancient 
and modern times, cannot be an emanation from the 
depraved heart of man. I would sooner look to be 
fanned with breezes as fragrant as the breath of infan- 
cy, in a charnel-house, as to believe that the Gospel, 
wdth its words of love, its lines of light, and its 
every page fragrant with the aroma of peace and 
forgiveness, came up from the charnel-house of 
man's heart. 

" And now, I ask, my friends, will you continue to 
follow these blind guides, while reason and revela- 
tion assure us, that 6 when the blind lead the blind 
both fall into the ditch V Are those men safe guides, 
whose minds the god of this world hath blinded, who 
have never been brought from the darkness of Satan 
into the marvelous light of the Son of God ? "Would 
you go to one lost in a wilderness to lead you to a 
path of safety ? Are those men lost in the wilderness of 
error as safe guides as the God of heaven, who is now 
ready to lead you by a pillar of fire to the eternal 
inheritance ? If beating about on an unknown sea, 
driven by fierce winds, and ready to come upon a lee 
shore, your aged father and mother, your wife and 
children all on board, would you commit the guid- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



137 



ance of the ship to a pilot who had never seen a chart 
or compass, who had never seen an anchor or thrown 
a sounding line ? And will you commit your immor- 
tal interests to those pilots who have never fathomed 
their own minds, who have always beat about upon a 
sea of uncertainty, and are always panic struck when 
entering the straits of death ? or will you not this very 
hour receive on board the Lord J esus as your pilot, 
who will, in this life, 6 guide you by his counsel, and 
afterward receive you to glory V Will you grope your 
way, with the rush-light of reason, in the caverns of 
doubt, when the sun of truth is pouring floods of 
light above you ? "Will you spend all your living on 
physicians who are not able to heal themselves, when 
one stands ready to lead you to the balm of Gilead 
and the Physician there ?" 



v 



BOOK IV. 



THE CITY BESIEGED— A WAR COUNCIL 
CALLED. 



BOOK IV. 



THE AEMY OF THE KING BESIEGE THE CITY — CAPTAIN RUN-NEVER 

LEADS THE VAN THE BRIGADES COMPOSING THE ARMY 

COUNCIL OF WAR COUNCIL ADDRESSED BY MESSRS. STOUT-HEART, 

HALT-BY-THE-WAY, VIM, MAN-LOVE, LOVE-LOVE, VALIANT, AND 
DIGNITY. 

Fkom the advent of the Prince of Peace to the present 
hour, there have ever been a few embassadors who 
have faithfully proclaimed the terms of peace and 
pardon to the dwellers in the City of Sin. At the 
same time there have been an innumerable host who, 
professing themselves legates of the King of heaven, 
have spent their time either in vain jangling, " giving 
heed to fables and endless genealogies," or, " greedy 
of filthy lucre," they have laid up treasures on earth ; 
hence the leprosy of avarice, more fatal than that of 
Gehazi, has spread over their souls ; for instead of culti- 
vating Immanuel's lands, they have been receivers of 
money, and garments, and olive-yards, and vine- 
yards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and 
maid-servants. Instead of lifting up their voice, and 
crying, " Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from 
the dead, and Christ shall give thee light," they 



142 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



have rocked men to sleep in the cradle of carnal 
security. Instead of kneeling by the bedside of the 
sick and dying, they have tarried long at the wheel 
of the gambler. Neglecting the widow and the 
fatherless, they have visited houses of feasting and 
dancing. Seeking to make sure their calling to posts 
of honor and profit, they have neglected to make 
their election sure to the general assembly and 
Church of the first-born. Neglecting their closets, 
they have frequented the theater. Turning a deaf 
ear to the cries of pity, they have listened to the 
tongue of flattery. Instead of taking the candle of 
the Lord, and entering the cellars and garrets of 
poverty, they have hid it under a bushel. "When they 
should have been way-marks to the kingdom of glory, 
they have been stumbling-blocks in the way of men 
going down to the night of the grave. Professing to 
be the successors of fishermen and tent-makers, who 
wandered clad in sheep-skins and goat-skins, they have 
robed themselves in ermine and sat down on thrones 
of ivory. Claiming to hold the keys of St. Peter, 
they have chained up the Bible, and shut up the 
kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of knowledge, 
from myriads of the human race. Declaring them- 
selves strangers, and pilgrims to a better country, 
they have amassed untold treasures, and vied with 
royalty in the splendor of their possessions. Pro- 
claiming Him as their master who wore a seamless 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



143 



coat, they have flounced ir garments bespangled with 
silver and gold. Teachers of humility, they have 
exalted themselves " above all that is called God." 
Reprovers of iniquity, they have winked at the 
crimes of the great. Lovers of the poor, they have 
ground them to powder. Sent to feed the flock of 
God, they have either, as wolves, devoured the sheep, 
or abandoned them to hirelings. Champions of 
liberty, they have enslaved the human mind. Lights 
of the world, they have enshrouded it in a darkness 
that may be felt. Professing to love their enemies, they 
have burned them at the stake, and instead of going 
forth without purse or sword to conquer the world, 
armed with faith and love, they have seized upon the 
purse and sword, and what they could not effect by 
bribery they have accomplished by violence, so that 
there is not a river of Europe but has been crimsoned 
by the blood of their victims. 

But leaving these false prophets alone to glory 
in their shame, let us turn our attention to those 
armies of the King of heaven, commissioned and 
sent forth to besiege the City of Sin ; and may that 
power which opened the eyes of the companion 
of the prophet to behold the mountains full of 
horses and chariots of fire, round about Elisha, 
open our eyes, not to see chariots of iron and war- 
riors clad in steel, but the innumerable host of the 
Church militant round about the city, whose doom 



144 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



is written in the book of God. From the hour it was 
announced, " Behold, the tabernacle of God is with 
men," fresh troops have arrived, pitching their tents 
around the pavilion of the great Captain of salvation. 
At first, the troops were so few, and so hedged about 
by deadly foes, they had all things common. But 
now the army is so vast, composed of so many tribes 
and clans, the lines are so far extended, so many 
valleys and huge hills intervene, so thick and heavy 
are the mists and fogs setting along the ranks, that un- 
less one has gained a stand-point, and has at hand the 
eye-glass of charity, by which he can survey the 
various battalions, as they meet and grapple with the 
enemy, he will imagine that his regiment alone con- 
tains all the fighting men in the world, that he and 
his fellow-soldiers are alone engaged in putting to 
flight the armies of the aliens. At the same time, the 
fog has been so dense that the champions of the 
cross have often, instead of battling with a common 
enemy, turned their arms like the soldiers of Cadmus 
upon each other. Ajad never has Apollyon shown 
himself such a complete master of strategy as when 
he has clothed his servants in the uniform of the 
Christian host, thus introducing confusion and dismay 
along their ranks ; and so closely have they imitated 
their dress and language, that they have oftentimes 
succeeded in obtaining the highest posts of honor 
and profit in the Church militant. It has been the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



145 



ruling policy of Satan to officer the army of the 
King of heaven ; hence, transforming his adherents 
into angels of light, he has robed them in the gar- 
ments of the priesthood, and exalted them to the 
bench of bishops, who have swayed the councils of 
the Church by their sophistry, persuading them to 
call light darkness, and darkness light, until they 
have landed the sacramental host of God's elect on 
the very borders of the dismal morass of superstition ; 
and often, when they should have caused their artil- 
lery to play upon the vanguard of the foe, they have 
been compelled to turn it upon traitors, who, with 
the dress and colors of friends, were assailing them in 
the rear ; and so often have they been deceived, and 
in perils among false brethren, that they have ex- 
pended their energies in battling with those who, 
after the smoke and dust of the conflict rolled away, 
turned out to be valiant friends. As time rolls on, 
and the Sun of Righteousness culminates toward the 
zenith, dispersing the fogs of prejudice, they will 
doubtless obey more implicitly the rule laid down 
in the book containing the regulations of the army : 
"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that 
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is 
of God." For many centuries little was done by the 
Church militant but to build armories, and to fill 
them with the weapons of controversy, and to mold 

theological cannon, not for the purpose of assailing 

10 



146 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the towers of the City of Sin, but to overthrow the 
false dogmas of those who were marshaled under the 
same banner. 

For the last few years a few of the champions of 
the cross have abandoned the war of controversy, 
and are now making vigorous attacks upon the strong- 
holds of the enemy; distinguished among others in 
this aggressive war is Captain Run-never. He was 
born in the town of "Word-war, but when quite young, 
being disgusted with the inhabitants, who made a 
greater use of their tongues than their hands, and 
permitted their fields to be overrun with weeds, 
thinking that the plow and spade were beneath the 
dignity of men who could use their throats so valor- 
ously, he joined a little band, who were going out to 
besiege the City of Sin ; soon becoming renowned for 
his courage and prowess of arm, he was chosen their 
leader. As they were one day pushing up their 
battering-ram against the walls, hoping to make a 
breach therein, the battlements and towers being 
covered with thousands of citizens, looking with dis- 
dain upon their efforts, some one from the walls cried 
out to Captain Run-never : " Sir, you look lonesome." 

At this, Captain Run-never, that he might " answer 
a fool according to his folly," and at the same time en- 
courage his comrades, replied : "We look lonesome! so 
did Alfred the Great when domiciled in the hut of a 
peasant, his army defeated, his nobles either in exile 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



147 



or wandering disguised as rustics, and his fair realm 
overrun by a foreign foe ; but he lived to regain his 
scepter and his throne, and to drive the invader from 
his shores. We look lonesome! so did Heyne read- 
ing by the light of the street lamps; but he lived to 
write his name among the stars, and hand down his 
fame to coming ages, as lustrous as the fields of light ; 
and so did Columbus knocking at the door of royalty, 
begging for men and ships, that he might explore the 
world of waters ; but he lived to reveal to Europe a 
continent hanging in equipoise with their own; and 
so did Franklin, sleeping in the market, and living on 
bread and water ; but he lived to stand before kings 
and to weave his garland of the lightning's fiery 
thread. We look lonesome ! so did Napoleon, when, 
having graduated at a charity school, he wandered 
about the streets of Paris penniless ; but he lived to 
sit down on the throne of the Bourbons, and to place 
upon his head the iron crown of Charlemagne ; and so 
did the Pilgrim Fathers when planting their feet 
on the rock of Plymouth, an interminable wilderness 
before them, assailed on their right by savage beasts, 
and more savage men, and on their left by hunger, 
and the rigors of an uncommon winter; but they 
lived to found the temple of liberty, along whose 
isles shall roll and meet the choral symphonies of 
Atlantic and Pacific waves; and so did the camp of 
the American army at Morristown, without fire, 



148 



THE CITY OF SIN*. 



without food, and without ammunition, the soldiers 
without shoes, and the sick without medicine ; but 
they lived to prostrate the power of Britain, and to 
establish their country's independence ; and as they 
suffered and triumphed, so shall we who are engaged 
in the holy cause of virtue, purity, and love. 

" But we are not alone. The God of battles has 
spread his banner over us, saying, 6 Fear not ; be not 
dismayed. When thou passest through the waters, 
I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow thee ; when thou walkest through 
the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the 
flame kindle upon thee.' The bannered host of cher- 
ubim and seraphim are arrayed upon our side ; angel- 
bands are encamping round about us, the spirits of 
just men made perfect are cheering us, the elder 
brethren from their thrones of light are beckoning 
us on to the conflict, while God the Son is ever 
saying, " Fear not, little flock ; it is your Father's good 
pleasure to give you the kingdom.' Our feet are 
planted on the rock of ages, and underneath are the 
everlasting arms, while the King declares: 'Thou shalt 
tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the 
dragon shalt thou trample under feet,' To those who 
walk by sight, and not by faith, our cause looks 
desperate ; so thought the ten spies when they 
beheld the tall sons of Anak and the walls of their 
cities reaching up to heaven; but Caleb and Joshua 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



149 



were ready to declare, c We be fully able to go up 
and possess the land ;' so thought the champion of 
the Philistines when he said to David, ' Come to me, 
and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, 
and to the beasts of the field;' so thought the King of 
Babylon when he cast the three Hebrew captives 
into the furnace heated seven times hotter than it 
was wont to be heated; so thought the Sanhedrim 
when they nailed the Son of God to the cross; so 
thought the Pope of Rome when he hurled the 
thunders of the Vatican at the head of Luther; so 
thought the enemies of the Church when they bound 
Latimer and Ridley to the stake ; and so thought the 
foes of vital piety when Wesley and Whitefield were 
set upon by savage mobs ; but they all could write 
on their banner, living and dying, 6 The Lord God is 
a sun and shield, and has ever been unto us as the 
munition of rocks.' " 

It happened one day as Captain Run-never and 
his band were throwing up their intrenchments, pre- 
paring to push the siege more vigorously, that some 
one standing on the wall near the Tower of Infidelity, 
cried out, " Sir, you would do better to mind your 
own business." 

To whom Captain Run-never replied : 
" "We mind our own business ! So would the wolf 
say to the shepherds, when pursued to his den, though 
his jaws were red, and the mangled carcasses of his 



150 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



victims were piled around him. So would the incen- 
diary say to men striving to extinguish the flames, 
and to rescue the little ones from the burning cham- 
bers. You have enticed away from our fold an innu- 
merable host, who have either fallen into the jaws of 
the wolf of darkness, or are now shut up in his dark 
dens ; we have come that we may restore them to 
the Shepherd and Bishop of souls. You, as moral 
incendiaries, have kindled the fires of lust, by which 
the souls and bodies of men are consumed ; we come 
that we may pour over them the waters of truth. 
"We mind our own business ! so might the counter- 
feiter, the highwayman, and murderer say when 
taken into custody. As a battle-ship would bear 
down upon a slaver, throwing the grappling irons, 
and knocking off the hatches, and bringing up from 
their dark hold the sons and daughters of Africa, that 
they may be restored to their sorrowing kindred, so 
we come that we may break open the strongholds 
of vice, and restore the sons and daughters of Adam 
to their kindred in the skies. 'Am I my brother's 
keeper V Cain and his infidel followers have always 
acted in the negative. They have seen their brother 
hungry, and fed him not; naked, and clothed him 
not ; sick and in prison, and ministered not unto him. 
They have seen their brother thrown into jail for 
debt; his wife and children suffering the pangs of 
hunger ; and when asked to give relief, each, with a 



THE CITY OF SIN. 151 

supercilious look, has said, 'Am I my brother's 
keeper?' Famine and the pestilence that walketh 
in darkness have depopulated towns and cities ; an 
army of orphans have lifted up their skeleton hands 
for bread; avarice and oppression have ground the 
face of the poor; and the groans of the distressed, 
like the voice of many waters, have rolled through 
the halls of affluence, and the response has ever 
been, 'Am I my brother's keeper? 5 The deaf, the 
dumb, and the blind have hung out signals of dis- 
tress, and implored their aid ; the trembling fugi- 
tive has knocked at their door ; the soldier, returned 
from the wars, with his blistered face and battered 
shield, and the discharged convict, just from his 
prison cell, without friends, purse, or character, 
have sat down on the marble steps of the great, who 
have endeavored to quiet their consciences by say- 
ing, c Am I my brother's keeper ?' Such men could 
see a ship sinking in mid-ocean, men and women im- 
ploring their aid with frantic cries, and turn away 
without flinging even a broken spar to aid them in 
their great agony. Such men build no schools, 
endow no colleges ; asylums for the blind they never 
foster ; against the floods of intemperance they throw 
up no barrier; the rust of ignorance, the leprosy of 
avarice, and the gangrene of wantonness they make 
no efforts to remove. With hearts of stone and hands 
of ice, they walk through the world, responding to 



152 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the prayers of distracted wives and starving children, 
'Am I my brother's keeper?' On the other hand, 
we strive to act on the affirmative of this proposition, 
each writing on his banner as he goes forth to this 
holy war, <I am my brother's keeper.' When we 
see our brother's ox or sheep going astray, we are 
commanded to bring him back to our brother ; how 
much more when we see our brother's children stray- 
ing from the pathway of virtue. If, when we saw 
our brother about to drink of a poisoned cup, we 
would lift a warning voice, how much more should 
we warn and entreat him when drinking from a cup 
which will destroy both soul and body. If, when 
our countrymen have been taken captive by pirates, 
and shut up in Algerine prisons, we would exert our- 
selves to the uttermost for their deliverance, how 
much more when our brethren have been taken 
captive by the banditti of darkness, and shut up in 
the dungeons of the City of Sin. I can imagine a 
Kew-England village in the first settlement of Amer- 
ica, surrounded by a band of Indians, who fire the 
dwellings and carry away captive the wives and 
daughters; and as some one passes through the 
scattered villages, calling on the inhabitants to 
band together and march to the rescue, would 
they not feel it their bounden duty to obey the 
summons? And is it not our duty to march to 
the rescue of men and women who have been taken 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



153 



captive by Satan, that we may snatch them, not 
from the tomahawk or the flames of the stake, but 
from the consuming fires of lust? We shudder at 
the thought of savages roasting and eating their 
prisoners of war ; but sin and vice are savages, who 
drag into their dark dens multitudes, whom they 
literally roast alive by slow consuming fires. And 
shall we not band together and march to the rescue, 
that we may pluck them as brands from the burning? 
Or shall we shut our eyes to this painful truth, and 
close up every avenue of our hearts to the calls of 
sympathy, and with souls hardened and ossified, 
and with consciences seared, shall we move on in the 
march of pleasure, hoping, with the dream of sensual 
joy, to drown the sobs and moans of those who have 
been sacrificed upon the altars, not of the war-god of 
Montezuma, but upon the altars of that God whose 
victims are legion; victims whom he has gathered 
from the halls of the senate and from the hovels of 
poverty. 

" 6 1 am my brother's keeper.' Guided by this 
sentiment, Noah went forth for a hundred and twenty 
years, warning the antediluvians of the coming deluge. 
Under its influence Moses dared to go up to the 
throne of the tyrant of Egypt, and demand the libera- 
tion of his brethren from the most cruel bondage that 
ever threw its baleful shadow over the face of the 
earth. Prompted by this principle, Joshua flamed 



154 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



in the van of the armies of Israel; Elijah hewed in 
pieces the prophets of Baal, lest his brethren should 
again lapse into idolatry, and Ezra returned to rebuild 
the temple, and to lift up a standard for his people. 
It was this that gave courage to the heroes of Mara- 
thon, Salamis, and Plataea, and enabled the men of 
former ages to resist unto death those who would 
ravish their wives and dash their little ones against 
the stones. It is this that gives sanctity to the pre- 
cepts of the lawgiver, robes the judge in spotless 
ermine, and arms with sleepless vigilance the door- 
keepers in the temple of liberty. The infidel doctrine 
that we are not our brother's keeper, is repudiated by 
the whole animal world. The lion and bear fight for 
their young with a patriot's valor, the bee repels the 
aggressions of the wasp, and the hen has ever an eye 
on the hawk as it wheels and screams in the heavens. 

"Take this sentiment out of the hearts of men, and 
banish it from the world, and patriotism would die 
out among the tribes of the earth, humanity would be 
a word obsolete in all languages, and charity, that 
seeketh not her own, would fly back to her native 
clime. The prophets who have been stoned for lift- 
ing up their voice like a trumpet, and proclaiming 
the truth in the ear of the oppressor, the warriors 
who have piled up their bones as a barrier to stay the 
desolations of the proud invader, and the statesmen 
who have stood as sentinels on the watch-tower. 



THE 



CITY OF SIN. 



155 



counting the bulwarks of freedom, will become a 
laughing stock in all coming time. Erase this prin- 
ciple, as written by the finger of God upon the tablet 
of our hearts, and we shall come to regard Jeremiah 
exclaiming, 6 O that my head were waters, and mine 
eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and 
night for the slain of the daughters of my people,' as 
a madman. Regulus, that he might save Kome 
from a disgraceful peace, voluntarily returning to 
Carthage, knowing that an excruciating death await- 
ed him ; Cicero, neither giving sleep to his eyes, nor 
slumber to his eyelids, that he might save his coun- 
trymen from the brand of the incendiary and the 
knife of the assassin ; Algernon Sidney, refusing to 
stain his conscience with a lie, that he might save his 
head from the block ; Howard, leaving his warm 
home, and traveling from kingdom to kingdom, 
visiting the prisons and dungeons of Europe ; and La- 
fayette, leaving ease and affluence for the filth and 
poverty of the American camp, were all mad enthu- 
siasts. If every man is to adopt the motto, £ I am not 
my brother's, keeper,' then Clarkson and Wilberforce, 
who labored for half a century to put a stop to the 
horrors of the slave-trade ; Kepler and Galileo, who 
toiled long and wearisome years that they might 
reveal the laws which govern suns and planets, open- 
ing up new heavens and new worlds to the ken of mor- 
tals, together with all those who have suffered the 



156 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



pangs of poverty and disease, while toiling to remove 
the rubbish of ignorance, and to pour the light of 
truth into the dismal abyss of error, should have 
adopted the motto, ' Let us eat and drink, for to-mor- 
row we die for, instead of exhausting their energies 
in providing homes for the homeless, breathing often- 
times the poisoned air of prisons, shut out from the 
sweet society of friends, they should have reclined on 
beds of down, feasted at the tables of luxury, and 
breathed an atmosphere scented with the fragrance 
of shrubs and flowers. 

" If this sentiment of Cain had prevailed in the 
councils of heaven, the plan of redemption would 
never have been formed ; our elder brother would 
never have volunteered himself as a missionary to our 
benighted world ; the song of the angels announcing 
the advent of the Prince of Peace would never have 
broken upon the ears of the shepherds of Jewry ; the 
glad news of salvation would never have been heralded 
through the rugged vales of Judea ; the tragedy of 
Calvary would never have been enacted ; angels and 
men would never have beheld the bloody sweat, 
the mock robe of scarlet, the scepter of reed, the 
crown of thorns, and the cross to which was nailed 
the c faithful Shepherd, who gave his life for the 
sheep.' The followers of the Lord Jesus, who have 
proclaimed in cold and nakedness, in stripes and im- 
prisonments, pardon, holiness, and heaven to a rebel 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



15T 



world ; the innumerable host who, in every age of the 
Church, have torn themselves from the arms of 
weeping parents, that they might travel over the sin- 
ful continents of our globe, never stopped to inquire, 
'Am I my brother's keeper?' but, having the love of 
God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost 
given unto them, they burned to proclaim to a world 
of lost sinners, redemption in the blood of the Lamb. 

"When the apostle to the Gentiles went forth, 
braving perils and death, to declare unto idol wor- 
shipers the unknown God; when Irenseus gave up 
the refinements and luxuries of Smyrna for the 
howling wilderness of Gaul, that he might band 
together in Christian fellowship its savage tribes; 
when Origen traversed the desert sands of Arabia, 
with the 6 waters of life ;' when Pantenus revealed 
unto the myriad hordes of India ' the true riches ;' 
when Augustine penetrated the solitudes of Britain, 
persuading its barbarous clans to abandon the in- 
human rites of Druid priests, and to look unto Jesus 
as the great High Priest, who has made a sacrifice 
for the sins of the whole world ; when the champions 
of the cross advanced into the wilds of Friesland, 
Cimbria, and Denmark, breaking in pieces the spear 
of Odin, and causing the thunder-hammer to drop 
from the hand of Thor ; when Luther unchained the 
Bible, and Cranmer gave his body to be burned; 
when "Wesley and Whitefield proffered to the miners 



158 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



of Cornwall the ' pearl of great price ;' when Eliot and 
Brainard taught the red men of America to walk in 
the King's highway of holiness ; when Henry Martyn 
and Bishop Heber left the endearments of England, 
to endure the terrible sun of the tropic, while carry- 
ing the lamp of life to men benighted ; they were 
actuated by sentiments as far removed from the 
teachings of infidelity as is the heaven higher than 
the earth ! 

"If we are to reject their principles, and the ex- 
ample of their lives, and no longer to regard ourselves 
as our brother's keeper, then let us go to our 
asylums, and, opening their doors, bid the deaf, the 
blind, and the dumb go forth into the streets, each to 
shift for himself ; let us convert our hospitals into 
warehouses, our free schools into shambles ; let the 
aged and infirm in our homes of refuge die, without 
a nurse or a physician ; let us call back our mission- 
aries in foreign lands, and bid them cease their tears 
and painstaking, and now labor for their own ag- 
grandizement ; let us disband our temperance armies, 
break up our Sunday schools, and shut up our free 
churches, and say to the poor, The Gospel is no 
longer preached unto you; let the ragged outcasts, 
who have been washed, and clothed, and gathered 
into industrial schools, be sent back to their dismal 
homes ; let the widow and orphan be uncared for ; 
let Bible Houses rot down, or be transformed into 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



159 



seats of the money changers; let the fountains of 
sympathy and the rivers of benevolence be dried up ; 
let us extinguish every spark of patriotism within our 
breasts, and draw around our hearts the icy crust of 
selfishness ; so that when the cry, £ Come over, and 
help us,' from every continent and from every island, 
borne on the four winds of heaven ; when the car of 
the false god, crushing the bones of men blinded by 
error ; when the cries of infants thrown to the river- 
god by deluded mothers ; when nations are smitten 
with famine, and cities scourged with the plague ; 
when the hoarse murmurs of the down-trodden serf, 
and the stifled moans from the hold of the slave-ship ; 
when the cries of the drunkard's wife and child fall 
upon our ears, beseeching us to aid in damming up 
the river of death, whose burning billows have rolled 
desolation over so many happy homes ; we shall be 
prepared to turn our backs upon them all, laying the 
flattering unction to our souls, 6 Am I my brother's 
keeper V 

" Many imagine that, while marching in the way 
to heaven, they have nothing more to do than to 
work out their own salvation ; thus imitating the 
base example of the crew of the Arctic, who, when 
the noble ship commenced sinking, took to the life- 
boats, leaving helpless women and children to wail 
out their cry of distress in vain; and, though some of 
the life-boats were but half filled, yet so steeped in 



160 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



selfishness were their hearts, that they made all haste 
to abandon their companions in distress. Surely, the 
brand of infamy will be stamped upon them. And 
shall we, who have taken to the life-boat of the Gos- 
pel, make no efforts to rescue men sinking down to 
perdition ? Shall we be so intent on making the port 
of peace securely that we cannot reach out a hand to 
grasp those who are fast drifting away to the pit that 
is bottomless? Is not the conduct of thousands 
around us, who pass by the vile, the ragged, and the 
filthy, on their way to the house of God, without 
making a solitary effort for their salvation, as de- 
plorable as the conduct of the crew of the Arctic ? It 
is enough to wring our hearts with anguish to see a 
young and beautiful mother struggling in the waves, 
with her babe clasped to her breast, calling upon 
strong and able-bodied men to come to her deliver- 
ance, who turn a deaf ear to her entreaties ; but, O, 
how should it stir our hearts when we see men and 
women, strong in body and in intellect, turning away 
from the multitudes who, on every side of them, are 
drowning in the waves of ungodliness ! 0, let us 
wipe away this reproach, by bending all our energies 
to save men, not from a watery grave, but from the 
pangs of the ' second death V for so shall an entrance 
be ministered unto us abundantly into the kingdom 
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.'* 

Let us now survey the beleaguering host round 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



161 



about the city. As there are several towers erected 
on the walls for its defense, the forces besieging the 
city have been disposed with an eye especially to 
their demolition. In front of the Tower of Infidelity 
a large battery has been erected, mounted with mor- 
tars and cannon, which throw upon it, day and night, 
bombs and red-hot balls. On the right a flag-staiF 
has been planted, bearing the banner on which is 
written in golden letters, " The Word of Life." Por- 
phyry, Julian, Diderot, Paine, and Kneeland have 
toiled incessantly to repair the breaches made 
therein, but without avail. In front of the Tower of 
Idolatry, batteries have been erected for the purpose 
of pouring upon it an incessant fire of grapeshot ; 
and most triumphantly have the guns of these bat- 
teries played upon this tower. At their first discharge 
pagan gods stood aghast. Jupiter, panic-struck, 
dropped his thunder-bolts, Neptune leaped from his 
chariot into the sea, the pallor of death gathered 
upon the cheek of Venus, Mars shook like an aspen 
leaf, the wings of Hermes melted like wax, the 
tongue of Apollo was dumb, Odin threw down his 
spear, and Thor his hammer, while the gods and de- 
mons of the Pantheon fled howling to the caverns 
of oblivion. Truly, "Bel boweth down, and Nebo 
stoopeth." 

A valiant band of warriors is drawn up in front of 
the Tower of Mohammedanism ; with their battering- 

11 



162 THE CITY OF SIN. 

rams, they are causing its foundations to shake and 
tremble, striking dismay into the hearts of the keep- 
ers thereof. They have inscribed on their banners : 
" Power belongeth unto God." " Not by might, nor by 
power ; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." 
That the shout of victory will be heard along their 
ranks is as certain as that clouds and darkness flee 
away before the sunrising. Henry Martyn, Parsons, 
and Fisk dealt many a hard blow upon the stones of 
this tower ere they went to their rest. May their 
mantles fall upon those who tread in their footsteps ! 

In front of the Tower of Popery a corps of re- 
nowned champions has been stationed. They have 
carved on their shields, as their watchword : " God 
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ." John Huss, Jerome, Rogers, 
Saunders, Taylor, Bradford, Ridley, Latimer, Phil- 
pot, and Cranmer have fought bravely, and died tri- 
umphantly before this tower, whose buttresses have 
been most terribly shaken by the puissant arms of 
"Wicliff, Zwingle, Luther, Calvin, and Knox. 

An army, composed of various tribes , and clans, is 
drawn up before the Tower of Intemperance. They 
have written upon their banner : " Touch not, taste 
not, handle not." Here you will see men of every 
caste, of every dialect, and of every color. For many 
years they wielded the sword of eloquence, and the 
war club of moral suasion; but of late they have 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



163 



been using an old ordnance, commonly called the 
"Ballot-Box." Great hopes are entertained that it 
will prove a powerful adjunct in sweeping away 
every vestige of this dismal tower. 

For many centuries, batteries, mounted with sev- 
enty-four pounders, have been pouring an incessant 
fire upon the Tower of Ignorance. For the last few 
years a chain of forts, thrown up near the walls, has 
been greatly successful in undermining its founda- 
tions. To each of these forts and batteries a cata- 
pult, sometimes called the Press, is attached, which 
hurls not only ponderous stones upon the tower, but 
darts and arrows all over the city, so that now many 
a rift and cranny lets in rays of light upon the keep- 
ers thereof, who are already beginning to " see men 
as trees walking." 

As this tower was built in the form of a pyramid, 
many imagined that it would stand forever, but since 
the discovery of the catapult they have lost all hope, 
and are resigning themselves to despair. 

It will be well for us now to take a more minute 
survey of the different brigades composing the army 
besieging the city. First and foremost, we shall 
behold a brigade composed of grave and venerable 
men, who move on with a stately and solemn tread, 
to cope with their enemies. They have written on 
their escutcheon, as their motto, " The Church of the 
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." 



164 



THE CITY OF SI1S T . 



Their arms, their garments, and their tents have 
somewhat a mediaeval air about them, and from this 
circumstance, and the fact that a few have gone over 
to the enemy from their ranks, many imagine that 
they are closely allied to the keepers of the Tower 
of Popery; but it must not be forgotten that they 
have always led the van, dealt the most terrible 
blows, and that their best blood has been shed while 
attacking this tower. We should also recollect that 
the holiest cause may have its traitors; but Judas 
and Arnold do not weaken our confidence in the dis- 
ciples of the Lord Jesus, nor shake our faith in the 
patriotism of the coadjutors of "Washington. It is 
also true that men pass counterfeit bills on banks 
sound and above suspicion, and not on those below 
par. And when we turn over the muster roll, and 
read the names of Parker, Grindall, Cox, Sands, 
Jewel, Barrow, Hooker, Ken, Simeon, and Yenn, we 
shall be ready to give to the winds all such suspi- 
cion. The battalions in the second brigade are 
composed of a race of brave and stalwart men ; with 
bodies of iron and hearts of steel, they move on in a 
solid phalanx to meet the shock of arms. They have 
written on their banner: "For the weapons of our 
warfar eare not carnal, but mighty, through God, to 
the pulling down of strongholds." Not a gate or 
tower of the city but has shook and trembled under 
the blows dealt by their puissant arms. They have 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



165 



been not a little aided by a band of soldiers, called 
the Regiment of Independents, who go out to battle 
with the banner cry: "Let God arise; let his enemies 
be scattered and although they are not willing to 
follow the leadership of Presbuteros, they are always 
found fighting shoulder to shoulder when assailed by 
a common foe ; hence, when " long in even scale the 
battle hung," they have come up a reserved force, 
and caused victory to flash along the ranks of Israel. 
A few of the soldiers of this brigade have been cor- 
rupted through "philosophy and vain deceit," and 
have denied the Lord that bought them; but when we 
turn over the army roll, and read the names of Owen, 
Baxter, Manton, Goodwin, Howe, Poole, Bates, Fla- 
vel, Edwards, D wight, and Chalmers, and also remem- 
ber that their example and teachings are firmly 
lodged in the hearts of their successors, we have 
reason to hope that the spell of the adversary is 
broken. 

In taking a survey of the third brigade, we shall 
find its ranks, though not so splendidly accoutered as 
the two former, nor having the same grave and ven- 
erable appearance, filled up with valiant and self- 
sacrificing men, men who, as standard bearers, have 
pressed the battle to the very gates of the enemy, 
carrying the blessings of the Gospel of peace to 
nations sitting under the very shadow of death. To 
the men of this brigade belongs the honor of discov- 



166 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



ering the Bay of Toleration, whose quiet waters 
afford sure anchorage to the agonized voyager, fol- 
lowed by the sharks of bigotry, hungry for his body, 
and chased by the pirates of intolerance, ready to rob 
him of his soul-freedom. Bunyan, Hall, Fuller, Carey, 
Ward, and Judson have demonstrated to the world 
that there was a light of truth and a light of love 
in their hearts, that neither prisons, nor chains, nor 
poverty, nor disease, nor heat, nor cold could extin- 
guish; writing on their banner, "Stand fast, therefore, 
in the liberty w T herewith Christ hath made us free," 
they have fought on bravely, oppressed by the pow- 
erful, despised by the great, and ridiculed by the 
learned. But they have kindled fires which have 
warmed the log-cabin of the pioneer in the wilder- 
ness, cheered the solitude of the philosopher, and 
illumined the darkness of India and Burmah, so 
that now those who oppressed are ready to succor, 
and those who ridiculed are ready to applaud. 

The fourth brigade is composed of cavalry, and 
is employed to great advantage in flanking the ene- 
my. In surveying its ranks, we shall find them 
mostly filled with bronzed and sun-burned warriors. 
Here and there a veteran appears, whose head is 
white with the frost of time, whose face is not only 
furrowed with deep lines of care, but is blistered with 
many an honorable scar. They stand ready at the 
word of command to swim rivers, to clamber over 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



167 



rugged mountains, or to bivouac in the wilderness, 
pillowed on the cold earth, canopied by the vault of 
heaven, and lulled to rest by the howlings of the 
wolf and panther. Looking out upon their labors, 
we shall find the words of the prophet fulfilled to the 
letter:" "The wilderness and the solitary place shall 
be glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice, and 
blossom as the rose ; and the parched ground shall 
become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water ; 
in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall 
be grass with reeds and rushes." The names of "Wes- 
ley, Whitefield, Fletcher, Coke, Clarke, "Watson, As- 
bury, Summerfield, Fisk, and Olin, are embalmed in 
the hearts of millions now on their way to glory and 
to God. They have inscribed on their banner, as it 
waves triumphantly over them, "The best of all is, 
God is with us." 

In reviewing the troops drawn together from 
various nations, we shall behold the tents of Bohemi- 
ans, Hungarians, Waldenses, Germans, and Swiss ; a 
little further on are the lines and intrenchments of 
Hollanders, Norwegians, and Huguenots, together 
with those of the Swede and Dane. Many of these 
troops, in former years, have displayed more than 
Spartan valor, but, alas! many are now sleep- 
ing at their post, permitting the rust of inaction 
to gather on their armor ; and into so deep a sleep 
have many of them been cast, that there is no earthly 



168 THE CITY OF SIN. 

voice can rouse them from their slumbers. One 
might as well attempt to stir up the Greeks of the 
present day, by telling them of Artemisium, Mycale, 
and Himera, or of the vanquishers of Artemisia 
and Hamilcar, as to hope to rouse these sleepers by 
telling them of Luther and Melancthon, Carlostadt 
and Welles, or of the heroes of Leipzic and Lutzen. 
Notwithstanding, there are a few scattered along their 
ranks, in whose hearts the fires of holy zeal still burn, 
men of faith and men of prayer ; and it is our hope 
that the flame will spread from rank to rank, until 
their burnished arms shall gleam defiance and their 
battle-cry shall strike dismay into the hearts of the 
enemy. 

Having taken a partial survey of the army besieging 
the city, it will be well now to give some account of 
the great war council held of late, for the purpose of 
devising plans for pushing on the war more vigorously. 
Many councils have been held in former centuries for 
settling the dogmas of faith, and to cast, if possible, a 
die in which the opinions of mankind could be molded, 
so that they should be of the same shape, and size, 
and color. But after the wise and good have toiled 
for ages in vain, men are beginning to conclude that 
all such efforts are as chimerical as the search for the 
philosopher's stone or the universal solvent. They 
are now casting about, to discover, if possible, if they 
cannot be united in love and good works ; hence the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 169 

question arises, as men's opinions vary as do their 
faces, can they not walk the same road, having their 
faces Zi onward, however different as to contour? 
Cannot men fight a common enemy shoulder to 
shoulder, though their accouterments vary as to 
shape, size, and color ? Cannot men eat and drink at 
the table of the Lord, though their cups are variously 
embossed ? 

Long before this war council was convened, there 
was a great diversity of opinion as to the proper 
basis, and as to the qualifications requisite to render 
a member eligible to a seat, some contending that 
the color of the eyes, others that the color of the hair 
should be an important requisite : many thought that 
they should all be six feet high, while others con- 
tended that every member should weigh just two 
hundred pounds. But treating all such propositions as 
foolish and vain, it was finally determined that every 
regiment should send the man who could show the 
greatest number of honorable scars ; yet it happened 
that a few, by family influence, wormed themselves 
into the council who had never seen a battle or 
drawn a sword. 

On the assembling of the council, and after the 
usual preliminaries, Mr. Stout-heart rose, and proposed 
that they should proceed at once to discuss the plan or 
plans for carrying on the war more vigorously. At this 
a Mr. Halt-by-the-way rose, and said he thought there 



170 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



was a question prior to that. " Should we not," said 
he, " abandon this war altogether ? Is it not evident 
that the city is impregnable, having stood a siege of 
eighteen hundred years ? Should we not rather em- 
ploy our energies in waking up our brethren sleeping 
at their posts ? or in brightening our armor ? or in 
gathering magazines for future operations?" To 
whom Mr. Stout-heart replied, " £ Abandon this war V 
No, not while we have so many friends and kindred 
who have been taken captive and shut up in the 
dungeons of our enemies ! ' Employ our time in 
waking up our brethren sleeping at their posts?' 
Will not the shoutings of the captains, and the 
clangor of trumpets, and the shock of arms on armor 
clashing, be the surest way to rouse them from their 
slumbers? 6 Employ our time in brightening our 
armor?' Is not hard fighting the surest way to 
brighten one's arms? or shall we imitate the base 
example of that soldier who was never ready to. go 
up to battle, because, as he alleged, his arms were not 
sufficiently cleaned, and literally wore out his armor 
scouring it ? ' Cease fighting that we may gather mag- 
azines for future operations ?' Did Wallenstein and 
Tilly achieve their victories by ceasing hostilities 
that they might spend years in molding cannon and 
building arsenals ? Do Turenne and Conde live in 
the memories of men because they halted by the way, 
while there was a redoubt of the enemy to be assail- 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



171 



ed ? Would victory ever have perched on the flag- 
ship of Nelson, if, on the eve of the battle of the Nile, 
he had drawn off his fleet that he might lay in a 
greater supply of powder and ball? Did Wellington, 
on the morning of the battle of Waterloo, draw off his 
armies that he might lay up magazines for future 
operations ? No, no ; the foe was before him, and he 
must fight until the last grain of powder was burned, 
and the last sword worn up to the hilt ; and is not 
our only alternative victory or death? Is not our 
treasury inexhaustible ? Is not our armory filled with 
helmets and shields ? And will not the first step of our 
retreat not only be inglorious, but cause such a shout of 
exultation to be heard in the camp of our enemy, that 
trembling and dismay shall seize upon our ranks ?" 

To whom Mr. Halt-by- the- way replied : " It is for 
this very reason, because we have a treasury inex- 
haustible, and a well-filled armory, that I would rec- 
ommend our retiring within our intrenchments, that 
we may take our comfort within the camp. For 
there a table is spread with heavenly manna. There, 
in a vale 6 dressed in living green,' our tents are 
* pitched beneath interlacing trees whose leaves never 
wither. There, charmed with the fragrance of flow- 
ers and the eloquence of song, we shall forget -the 
hateful sights and sounds of this dread city ; and why 
should we fret our lives away in striving to bring 
these rebels into obedience to our King ? Multitudes 



172 THE CITY OF SIN. 

of them cannot tell their right hand from their 
left. Many are sunk so low in filth and ignorance 
that no earthly arm can raise them up. In many the 
light of intellect is extinguished, conscience seared, 
reason dethroned, and the judgment blinded, and 
with hearts filled with wormwood and gall, they love 
to despise every signal of mercy, and to reject every 
offer of pardon ; why therefore, I ask, shall we give up 
the delights and luxuries of our camp for the hard- 
ships and perils of this conflict with men but one re- 
move above the brute ?" 

In reply, Mr. Stout-heart said : " If we retire within 
our camp, under cover of our intrenchments, and 
abandon this war, shall we not cease to imitate the 
example of our King, who, when surrounded with the 
joys of heaven, left the bosom of the Father, and 
came down to earth that he might vanquish death, 
and triumph over the grave ? If ease and comfort are 
the great objects of life, then the disciples on the day 
of Pentecost, having received the baptism of the 
Holy Ghost, should have remained in their upper 
chamber, instead of going forth and standing in the 
streets of Jerusalem, exposed to the ridicule and* 
malice of the rabble. But the cloven tongues of fire 
rested upon them, and they were endued with power 
from on high ; not that they might shut up the fire 
within their own hearts, but that they might go out 
into the cold, dark world, and shed warmth and light 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



173 



around them. A well of living waters had been 
opened within them, but those waters, to remain 
sweet, must flow out of them continually, otherwise 
they would become stagnant and putrid. They had 
been permitted to gather manna, but they must share 
it with mankind, for by hoarding it up mold and 
worms would soon destroy it. Fire from heaven had 
fallen on their hearts, which, if pent up, would go out 
for want of vital air ; hence their safety depended on 
scattering the holy influences around them. 

"'Take our comfort within the camp?' Was this 
the course pursued by the Apostle to the Gentiles ? 
"Why did he not retire to "some corner of the earth, 
and there live the life of a hermit, instead of going 
forth from province to province, declaring unto men 
the i Gospel of the grace of God V From the hour 
of his conversion to the day of his death, he 6 ceased 
not to warn every one night and day with tears.' 
Having of the Jews five times received forty stripes, 
save one, stoned at Lystra, scourged at Philippi, ap- 
prehended and imprisoned at Jerusalem, shipwrecked 
at Melita; in weariness and painfulness, inwatchings 
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold 
and nakedness, he might well say, 6 If in this life only 
we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most mis- 
erable.' Were ease and comfort in this life the aim 
of the martyrs and confessors who passed to their 
rest through a £ great fight of afflictions V Was not 



174 



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their only comfort the comfort of doing good, their 
only luxury the luxury of tears ? And can we hope 
to receive a crown of life by folding our arms and 
slumbering in our tents ? Was the salt of Divine grace 
imparted unto us that we might hide it in our heart- 
cells, or to diffuse it through the ocean of humanity ? 
Was the sword of the Spirit given us that we might 
let it rust in the scabbard, or to wield it in discern- 
ing the 'thoughts and intents' of wicked hearts? 
Was the tree, M whose leaves are for the healing of the 
nations/ planted in our midst for us to guard ; or 
that we might carry them to men scarred and blis- 
tered with the stripes which sin has made? Was the 
river of life rolled through our world that we might 
throw up walls along its banks ; or to stand on its 
banks and cry, ' Ho ! every one that thirsteth, come 
ye to the waters? 5 We may be 'told in reply, that 
all have been invited to come, and receive health, 
light, and life ; but they will not come, therefore we 
have nothing to do but take our comfort. But do we 
not know that when men are shot down on the battle- 
field, it often happens that they are so crippled and 
weakened with loss of blood, that they have no power 
to rise up, and go to the surgeon that their wounds 
may be bound up ? hence we must take them up in 
our arms, and bear them to the physician. Of what 
use would it be to announce to the traveler on the 
desert, overcome with heat and thirst, delirious with 



THE CITY OF SIN. 175 

pain, that a fountain was near at hand ? Is it enough 
to stand in the door of a hospital, and say to a man 
lying on the pavement sun-struck, deaf to every 
sound, blinded by pain, and every faculty of his body 
and soul benumbed, ' Come in, come in, and receive 
health and life V Have we done all our duty when 
we call to men drowned in the waves of ungodliness? 
Shall we not rather, with the sub-marine armor of the 
Gospel, let ourselves down into those unfathomable 
caves, and bring up those precious jewels for whom 
Christ died ? 

" ' Take our comfort within the camp V What 
should we think of the light-house keeper, who, 
when a dark winter's night brooded on the sea, 
and the shipwrecking waves dashed furiously on 
the strand, should cease ringing the alarm bell, 
and, letting the lights go out, should betake him- 
self to an opera or a pleasure party, that he might 
take his comfort? And are we not appointed to 
stand as beacon lights on the coast of time, to warn 
the voyagers to eternity of the rocks on which so 
many have foundered? Where would be the hu- 
manity of that pleasure party assembled in a Swiss 
cottage, who, when it was announced to them that 
certain travelers, journeying over the Alps, were 
benighted and bound in by drifts of snow, should 
refuse to go to their rescue, because they wished to 
take their comfort? And are there not moral gla- 



176 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



ciers, and more than Alpine snows, before us and 
around us? And shall we not go to the rescue of 
men in whose hearts the fountains of sensibility are 
frozen up ? 

" That men bound in by a more than polar winter, 
with the chill of death upon their hearts, can be res- 
cued from their perilous state by a simple announce- 
ment of the Gospel, is contrary to all experience. A 
fire must be kindled around them, a countenance of 
love must be lifted upon them, hands of kindness 
must be reached out, and words of peace must be 
spoken to them, ere the bands of frost shall be loosed 
from off them, and they shall begin to yearn for the 
warmth of the ' inner life.' The culprit preyed upon 
by remorse, must be told of 'Him who died the just 
for the unjust;' the desponding must be robed in the 
' garments of praise ;' the blind must be led by a 
gentle hand ; the careless must be aroused by point- 
ing them to the rocky reef and the lee shore; the 
hardened must be startled by the £ voice of the 
trumpet waxing louder and louder;' while upon 
men whose consciences are seared as with a hot 
iron, the c oil of joy' must be poured. The Gospel 
must be preached to the rich, for in high life there are 
whirlpools, and ocean currents, and whirling eddies, 
and all-devouring maelstroms ; and also to the poor, 
for they are the heritage left to the Church by its 
Divine Founder. The same zeal that would prompt 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



177 



us to carry the true riches to bankers, should prompt 
us to carry them to beggars ; for the first are in great 
danger of crying with Dives for a drop of water to 
cool their parched tongues; while for the last we 
have hope that they will be carried by the angels 
into Abraham's bosom. 

" There are rifts and abysses into which light must 
be thrown ; there are volcanic fires of passion, over 
which the waters of truth must be poured; neither can 
we expect that the first dash will extinguish the flames. 
The rubbish of bigotry must be removed from the 
temple of the soul before its windows can be illum- 
ined by the rays of the sun of righteousness. It is 
not the work of an hour or a day to rescue a ship's 
crew, crushed in by towering icebergs ; neither can 
w r e expect a well-fortified fortress to surrender at the 
first summons ; and that the walls and towers of the 
City of Sin do not tumble down at the first blast of 
our trumpets, should be no matter of surprise or 
discouragement to us. 

"One has asked, Why should we fret our lives 
away in striving to bring these rebels into obedience 
to our King? they are but one remove above the brute. 
To him I would say, Look unto the rock whence ye 
are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are 
digged. I ask, sir, how far removed you and I were 
above the brute before our feet were taken from the 
horrible pit and miry clay ? Was not the poison of 

12 



178 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



asps under our lips, ere the new song of praise was 
put into our mouths i "Were not our feet swift to shed 
blood, before they were i shod with the preparation 
of the Gospel of peace? 5 "Was it for any worth or 
worthiness of our own, that He who sitteth above 
the water floods, and ruleth king in Zion, for our 
sates became poor, that we through his poverty 
might become rich ? Were we not as polluted and 
debased before we were washed in His all-atoning 
blood \ 

i; Abandon men because they are poor ? Are not 
the poor the sacred heritage bequeathed unto us by 
our Elder Brother, in whose will and testament, while 
there are many commands and promises, there are 
but two bequests? First: 'The poor ye have always 
with you.' Second : 'My peace I give unto you. 5 If 
we give up the first, will he not take from us the 
last? If we value his peace, which is like a river, 
and that passeth all understanding, shall we not 
highly esteem his poor? The rich, when dying, 
bequeath their houses and lands, their statuary and 
reliefs, their paintings and libraries to their children ; 
and wherewithal is the profit, but to pamper their 
bodies, nourish their pride, and foster their vanity ? 
But the Lord Jesus, when dying, bequeathed unto us 
the poor ; and is there no profit ? Do they not teach 
us self-denial, to give up our luxuries ? Do they not 
nourish within us mercy and compassion, and foster 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



179 



our humility ? If our Elder Brother had, like Alex- 
ander, bequeathed unto us thrones and scepters, 
kingdoms and empires, we would have hailed the 
legacy with delight; but are not the poor a richer 
legacy ? Was not the cup of power which Alexan- 
der presented to the lips of his surviving generals a 
cup of poison? Was not the crown which he put 
upon the head of each platted with thorns? Was 
not the mantle of royalty with which he robed them 
more fatal than the tunic of Hercules, consuming 
soul and body with the lust of dominion? Were 
they not, ever after they entered upon their inherit- 
ance, stung with envy and jealousy, devoured by 
malice and dark suspicion, and preyed upon by the 
vulture of remorse ? Do we not, therefore, in receiv- 
ing the poor as our inheritance, receive a richer leg- 
acy? Do they not tender our emotions, excite our 
sympathies, and increase our long-suffering and com- 
passion ? Do they not touch chords which vibrate in 
harmony with the lyres of the blessed. Do they not 
develop within us those graces and virtues which 
ally us to angels, and exalt us above kings and 
potentates? By exercising our benevolence upon 
objects of charity, are not our souls winged with 
pinions of a heavenly plumage? The scenery of 
earth, the laws of nature, suns and planets, were 
given us to excite and develop our intellectual 
powers; strike them out of existence, and how 



180 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



stinted would be the growth of our minds. Thus 
the blind, the deaf, and the poor are given us to 
excite and develop the emotions of our souls ; re- 
move these from our world, and let universal pros- 
perity attend upon all, and how dwarfed would be 
the affections of our hearts. The man who has 
never been surrounded by the helplessness of in- 
fancy and the infirmities of age, who has never 
been called to wait at the bedside of the sick and 
dying, has never received that development of which 
his manhood is capable. He may have the intellect 
of an angel, but his soul must be a moral waste. 
The mother who rears up a large family of chil- 
dren on whom constant health and happiness 
attend, may have some idea of a mother's love; 
but let one of her offspring be smitten with blind- 
ness, let her gaze upon its lusterless eye, and see her 
little one reach out its hand for some one to lead it, 
then it is she begins to discover how deep the well 
of maternal love is within her heart; now she is 
filled with indescribable emotions ; now pity, and 
compassion, and sympathy shoot out their tendrils 
with redoubled vigor, and twine around the little 
sufferer. Hence we may say that pain and poverty 
are our schoolmasters, which train the emotions and 
elevate the affections heavenward. By abandoning 
men simply because they have been unfortunate, we 
should be imitating the base example of our enemies : 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



181 



for the most polished pagan nations looked upon 
men overwhelmed by misfortunes as under the frown 
of the gods. But we are taught, by the blessed ex- 
ample of our Divine Master, to look upon the maimed 
and poor as under his peculiar favor and protection. 
For he opened their eyes, unstopped their ears, 
healed them of their infirmities, preached the Gos- 
pel unto them, and gave them bread to eat when 
famishing in the wilderness. The Romans regarded 
every object struck by lightning as sacred ; a temple 
or altar over which the fires of Jove had passed was 
doubly sacred. And are not those men who have 
been smitten by poverty, over whose bodies the 
scathing fires of disease have passed, doubly sacred, 
and doubly entitled to our sympathies? If we give 
up the poor, our only heritage in this life, shall we 
not forfeit our title to the inheritance, incorruptible, 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in 
heaven for us? Hence the very reason urged by 
Mr. Ilalt-by-the-way why we should abandon the 
war, is to my mind the strongest reason why we 
should prosecute it with untiring zeal. I therefore 
move you, that we now proceed to discuss the plan 
or plans for prosecuting the war more vigorously." 
This, being seconded by Mr. Love-good, was carried 
unanimously. 

At this, Mr. Truckle, seconded by Mr. Flinch, 
moved a reconsideration. The motion being put 



182 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



without debate, was negatived by a large majority. 
It being now at a very late hour of the night, an 
adjournment was moved and carried. 

On the assembling of the council the next morn- 
ing, the chairman announced that the resolution 
passed at their last meeting was the order of the 
day, whereupon Mr. Vim rose and said : 

" Sir, I hope I shall never forget that ' the race is 
not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong that a 
' Paul may plant and Apollos water,' but that God 
alone can give the increase ; at the same time, I hold 
that we are to use every means within our reach to 
do the work he may give us to do. It is natural for 
men assembled as we are, to inquire, in the first 
place, wherein lies our own weakness ; and then to 
discover, if possible, wherein lies the great strength 
of our enemies. And is not one cause of our weak- 
ness owing to the fact that each of our brigades 
adheres rigidly to the mode of warfare practiced for 
ages by his ancestors ? Like the Chinese and the 
Turks of a former day, we throw up a wall of sep- 
aration between ourselves and all others, shutting 
out thereby all the light, and refusing to adopt the 
improvements they may have made. 

" The history of our world demonstrates that those 
nations have been the most successful who have been 
the readiest to adopt the improvements of their ene- 
mies ; while those who have refused to take lessons 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



183 



from an enemy have gone down to contempt and for- 
getfulness. Sparta possessed as brave a race of men 
as ever faced a foe ; but her power tumbled into 
dust because she adhered so rigidly to the stern 
maxims of her founder ; and it was only by departing 
from his iron rule that her existence was lengthened 
out. It was not till after the naval victories of Phor- 
mio that they awoke to the importance of a fleet 
thoroughly equipped and manned. Using, as offens- 
ive arms, the long spear and short sword usual to the 
Grecian hoplite, and rejecting all missile weapons 
whatever, they were taught by the terrible disasters 
at Sphacteria to incorporate a band of archers into 
their forces. The defeat of the Athenians at Delium 
was owing to their adhering tanaciously to the Grecian 
rank and file, and not deepening their column, as did 
the Thebans. The Persian dynasty was overturned 
simply because Darius would not learn wisdom from 
the superior force of the Macedonian phalanx. 

" On the other hand, we find that the Russians were 
vastly improved by taking lessons from the Swedes, 
with whom they fought, under Charles the Twelfth. 
Napoleon discovered that Oarnot had ' organized 
victory,' and, adopting his combinations, he tri- 
umphed at Jena and Austerlitz. Tet how few of us 
are willing to lay aside the habits acquired in our 
former training, and learn wisdom from the superior 
organization of friends or foes ! The savage readily 



184 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



throws away his bow and arrows when he discovers 
the superior advantage of the rifle. Men who have 
been trained all their lives to the use of the javelin 
and spear, readily esichange them for the musket and 
bayonet. The military captains of the fourteenth cen- 
tury required but little persuasion to induce them to 
exchange battering rams for cannon, when attacking 
walled cities and baronial castles. A war steamer is 
vastly superior to a slow-sailing gun-boat. A few 
cannon, well mounted and heroically manned, wil. 
put to flight any number of Indians armed with 
bows and arrows. And in this we discover the wis- 
dom of the men of the world ; yet how many in our 
ranks, professing to be the children of light, decry hu- 
man learning, and shut their eyes to all the illumina- 
tions of science and art, not recollecting that the 
champions of the Reformation were men not only of 
solid learning, but equipped with all the appliances 
of philosophy and literature. 

" On the other hand, there are many among us who 
educate the head, to the neglect of the heart; spend- 
ing long years in training and developing the facul- 
ties of the mind, permitting, in the mean time, the 
affections to wither and die. They take good care 
that their helmet or head-piece is of the right metal, 
and well hammered, while their breastplate is as thin 
and frail as threads of gossamer. 

" Men of distinguished abilities are employed to 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



185 



lead the young beside the still waters of philosophy, 
and into the green pastures of poesy, to pour upon 
their unfolding minds the dew of science, to bathe 
their feet with the light of truth, and to nourish 
within them a noble hunger for the bread of knowl- 
edge. They make their pupils familiar with the 
crucible and telescope ; they teach them to delve 
among Greek roots, to analyze the chemical proper- 
ties of bodies, and to distinguish sines from co-sines ; 
but who ever heard of one of these professors taking 
his pupils to visit the desolate home of the drunkard, 
and, pointing to the pallor of death on the cheek 
of his wife, where once bloomed the rose of health, 
and to his little ones shivering in the cold, whose at- 
tenuated frames are almost reduced to skeletons for 
the want of bread, seek thereby to awaken in their 
young hearts emotions of love and compassion? 
They often take their pupils on excursions into the 
country, to increase their knowledge of botany, to 
acquaint them with shrubs and flowers but never to 
visit hospitals, where lie the sick and dying, that 
their emotions may be tendered, and their sympathies 
aroused by the sight of suffering humanity. They 
visit caves and precipices, that they may reveal unto 
them a knowledge of the different layers and strata 
of rocks composing the earth's crust ; returning, per- 
chance, with a geological specimen, containing the 
fossil remains of some fish or reptile, or the tracks of 



186 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



some bird whose species is now extinct ; but they 
never take them to visit the cold, damp basement, 
where, perchance, they will see the mother of six 
children lying upon a bed of straw. She has just 
received word that her husband has been wrecked 
and lost at sea ; and, heart-broken, she is lying down 
to die. Her little babe is sobbing and moaning at 
her breast, but the fountains of life are dried up : 
the fire has gone out on the hearth, the barrel of 
meal and the cruse of oil have failed. Now here are 
tracks of sorrow and suffering more precious in the 
sight of Heaven than all the fossil remains contained 
in all the geological cabinets in the world. 'Not but 
that men should have access to libraries, cabinets, 
and picture-galleries, for they develop the powers of 
the mind ; but the cold hut of poverty, the thorny 
bed of disease, the mother with her fatherless chil- 
dren grouped around the dying embers of her cheer- 
less hearth, are the picture-galleries where the affec- 
tions of the heart are developed and expanded. 
Trained in the first, men may have the wisdom of the 
serpent; but in the last alone can they derive the 
tenderness and harmlessness of the dove. 

" According to our present mode of training our 
fighting men, we put upon the shoulders of each the 
head of a giant, giving him, at the same time, the 
heart of a Lilliputian. We send them for ten years to 
an intellectual gymnasium, that they may be render- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



187 



ed retentive in memory, sound in judgment, and 
prolific in imagination, their hearts remaining desolate 
as a polar winter. We feed them with the bread of 
knowledge, and train them in intellectual exercises, 
until their mental sinews have the strength and con- 
sistency of iron, but, alas ! they carry about with them 
skeleton hearts. We are desirous that they should 
have the acumen of Socrates, the versatility of Aris- 
totle, the sublimity of Plato, and the eloquence of 
Cicero ; but how little effort do we make that they 
may have the tenderness of Jeremiah, the zeal of 
Paul, and the martyr-spirit of a Howard. Men do 
not attain to the intellectual stature of Empedocles, 
Corax, and Gorgias, by exercising their bodies. ISTo 
amount of hammering at the anvil will strengthen the 
brain, however much it may strengthen the muscles 
of the arm. If the constant exercise of the hands 
and feet could give vigor to the brain, the world, 
instead of being filled with mental dwarfs, would be 
filled with intellectual giants. We should look upon 
that father as insane who should announce that he 
intended his sons to surpass Pericles, Parmenides, 
and Titian, as statesmen, philosophers, and painters, 
compelling them, in the mean time, to live and work 
with swineherds, excluding them from the society of 
the refined and learned. Men do not become skillful 
pilots by working in a pin-factory, neither do they 
become eminent surgeons by remaining in an iron- 



188 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



foundry all their lives. The man who should send his 
sons to work ten years in a cotton-mill, and expect 
them, at the expiration of that time, to come out 
with their heads full of knowledge, not even in the 
mean time teaching them to read, would exhibit his 
folly and ignorance. And is not our folly apparent, 
when we shut up our young men for ten long years 
within the walls of academies, colleges, and universi- 
ties, and expect them to come out with hearts filled 
with tender emotions, excluding them at the same 
time from every object and every influence whereby 
their affections might be developed? We might as 
well expect that men would derive warmth and 
health in an ice-house, as to expect warm hearts and 
healthy affections in men shut up in college walls. 
The dew and sunlight are no more necessary to 
impart a vigorous growth to the tendrils of the vine, 
than are the tears of sorrow and the sunlight of grati- 
tude to give a vigorous growth to the affections. Men 
who fight for their country love their country ; men 
who make sacrifices for the Church, and labor for its 
advancement, are rewarded with a growing love for 
the Church ; men who peril their lives for the relief 
of the sick and dying when the pestilence is abroad, 
have an intensity of love to which the selfish and in- 
different are entire strangers ; those gallant tars who 
go out to fight the battles of their country on the 
high seas, return to hail the green hills of their native 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



189 



laud with a rapture of delight of which we can form 
no conception ; those who are scourged and imprison- 
ed for the truth, and those who take the bread out of 
their own mouths to feed the hungry, have meat to 
eat which we know not of; for the law is eternal, 
; He that watereth shall be watered ;' ' there is that 
scattereth and yet increaseth ; and there is that with- 
holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.' 
Hence he that withholdeth the yearnings of his heart 
for a long course of years, will be rewarded with a 
poverty-stricken soul; for when one puts his heart 
into an - exhausted receiver,' he must look for a moral 
death. You might as well bind a child hand and foot, 
and let it remain in that condition for years, and ex- 
pect a strong and well-proportioned body, as to expect 
a strong and well-regulated heart, whose every sensi- 
bility has been bound and tied up for years. I know 
that it may be urged in reply, that our young men in 
college life have access to libraries containing books 
which depict in vivid colors scenes of suffering and 
distress sufficient to keep alive their sensibilities. In 
answer to this I would ask, Is it not an unchangeable 
law of our being, that the reading of or seeing objects 
of distress, without the power to relieve, blunts the sen- 
sibilities and hardens the heart ? The great majority 
of our youth are fascinated with the nervous style, 
the thrilling incidents, and the gorgeous pictures of 
Bulwer and the school of writers of which he is the 



190 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



head, and I ask, will the youth grow better who 
reads of pirates and murderers, who are represented 
as possessing magnanimous natures, and hearts over- 
flowing with tenderness, but have been urged into 
robbery and piracy by the force of circumstances? 
The constant reading of children starving in a garret, 
or of injured innocence sighing away existence in a 
prison, with no possibility to carry relief, will in time 
freeze up the well-springs of love within us. Was it 
reading works like Paul Clifford or the Bravo of Venice 
that impelled a Harriet Kewell or Elizabeth Fry to 
go forth on their life-long missions of love ? Was it 
reading works like Eugene Aram or the Wandering 
Jew that broke up the great deep in the hearts of Clark- 
son and Wilberforce? Did Sir Philip Sydney derive his 
magnanimity from writings like Maryatt's ; for when 
wounded at Zutphen, and ready to perish with thirst, 
he found a bottle of water, which he was about to 
present to his lips, but seeing a fellow-soldier more 
severely wounded than himself, he took the bottle 
from his mouth and gave it to his more needy brother. 
Do the records of novel reading furnish one such ex- 
ample of heroic conduct ? Of the millions who read 
with avidity the writings of Fielding, Smollet, and 
Dickens, can one be found who has sacrificed time and 
talents, health and wealth, to the cause of suffering 
humanity? Can they furnish one of their number 
whose life and labors will compare with those of Eliot, 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



191 



Cox, or Judson ? And yet their writings are full of 
thrilling scenes of agony and woe, sufficient, we would 
think, to make the very stones cry out. But we find 
that those who read their writings are of all others 
the most ready to murmur when calamities fall 
upon them ; they are always the most peevish and 
fretful in domestic life; their minds are puffed up 
with vanity and self-conceit, and their hearts bloated 
with pride and vain-glory; hence their taste is 
vitiated, their estimates of life are all wrong, while 
they imbibe a disrelish for solid learning. From this 
class come misanthropes, spendthrifts, bankrupts, 
and self-murderers. That they are tormented with 
ennui is no wonder, for their hearts may be com- 
pared to the inland pond for whose waters there is 
no outlet ; hence they become stagnant and covered 
with a green scum ; there being no channels through 
which the affections may flow out, their souls become 
putrescent ; therefore I do not hesitate to say, that 
the writers of this class are the poisoners-general of 
the community. They proffer goblets, sparkling and 
foaming in beauty ; but however sweet the beverage 
may be in the mouth, it will carry the bitterness of 
death to the soul. They lead men into bowers fes- 
tooned with sweet-scented flowers; but there is an 
asp under every leaf, a worm in every bud. Many 
have the temerity to tell us, that by reading their 
productions the intellectual powers will be invigor- 



192 THE CITY OF SIN. 

ated ; they might as well tell us, that drinking rum 
and brandy would invigorate the body, while the 
history of our race demonstrates that those men who 
have endured the most fatiguing marches, fought the 
most terrible battles, encountered the greatest hard- 
ships by sea and land, drank nothing but cold water. 
In like manner it can be shown that the most elo- 
quent orators, the most subtle logicians, and the pro- 
foundest philosophers, never read, and, in fact, never 
heard of this class of writers. Can we believe that 
the sublimity of Homer, the eloquence of Demos- 
thenes, and the acumen of Aristotle, would have been 
increased by reading Jonathan Wild or Peter Sim- 
ple ? Can we imagine that Dante's Inferno, Tasso's 
Jerusalem Delivered, Milton's Paradise Lost, and 
Young's Night Thoughts would have been improved 
if their authors had spent their days and nights in 
novel-reading ? 

"The history of our race reveals no truth more 
plainly than that no amount of learning, no amount 
of intellectual training, can mature and ripen the 
affections of the heart. Forgetting this truth, 
Athens, and the thousand cities clustering around her, 
were plunged into ruin. This was the great error of 
their wise men. They imagined, that since Cadmus 
had transferred letters from Egypt to Greece, those 
ponderous keys which unlock the store-houses of sci- 
ence and knowledge, whereby the Hellenic isles had 



THE CITY OF SIN, 



193 



been transformed into homes of liberty and enlight- 
enment, therefore it was by the cultivating of letters 
that permanence to empire would be secured. As 
science had caused the hut of the fisherman to give 
place to the marble mansion, the morass to the 
blooming garden, and the waste places to vineyards 
and olive-yards ; as science had crowned their hill- 
tops with plenty, adorned their cities with temples 
and porticoes, and created fleets and navies for the 
defense of their coasts ; therefore it was by cultivat- 
ing science that they would be enabled to keep decay 
and death from knocking at their gates ; not under- 
standing that, by neglecting to cultivate the moral 
sentiments, they were cutting the cables and throw- 
ing away the only anchors which could hold the ship 
of state in safety, when the waves of faction beat over 
her bulwarks. That the moral sense of the Athenians 
was most woefully blunted, is evident from their put- 
ting to death one thousand prisoners of war at Mity- 
lene, and that not by their generals, but by a unani- 
mous vote of the dicastry, in which were assembled 
the chief men of the city ; also from their indiscrim- 
inate slaughter of the male inhabitants of Melos ; 
and also from their lust of dominion and aggrandise- 
ment, though that power should be acquired by lay- 
ing waste fruitful fields, depopulating villages, and 
sacking neighboring cities. 

"The history of Sparta is still more deplorable, for, 

13 



194 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



according to the laws of Lyeurgus, the affections of 
every child were to be smothered as soon as weaned 
from its mother. They were taught to cherish love 
for neither father nor mother, but a love of arms and 
a love of Sparta. All parental, filial, and fraternal 
love must die out of their hearts, if they would be- 
come sons worthy of Sparta. Hence their cruelty to 
the Helots, scourging them for the slightest offense, 
murdering, as we are told, in one day several thou- 
sands, after putting a garland on the head of each, 
and giving them their freedom. It was this very 
system of deadening the affections, that prompted 
the mother of Pausanias to bring the first stone to 
wall up the door of the temple into which her son 
had fled, that he might be starved to death. And 
hence the ruin that came in upon Lacedsemon, for in 
bodies of iron they carried hearts of stone ; and no 
man, or nation, can violate with impunity the law : 
'What God hath joined together, let no man put 
asunder. 5 The annals of the past amply illustrate this 
truth. It was for violating this law that the streets 
of Rome so often ran with blood shed in civil strife. 
The cities of Italy have ever been full of science 
and full of assassins. Sylla, Marius, and Caligula 
were trained in every intellectual accomplishment. 
Paris was full of academies of art during the Reign 
of Terror. Mirabeau, Danton, and Marat were by 
no means deficient in intellect ; but having effected 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



195 



a divorce between the head and the heart, and put asun- 
der what God had joined together, they were lost to 
shame and fitted for every crime. If the instructors 
of the youth of France had made one tithe the effort 
to quicken the sensibilities which they made to de- 
velop the intellect, Paris would have been saved 
from the Reign of Terror. And if we would make 
the same efforts to educate the heart as we do the 
head, we should never hear of students stabbing their 
teachers, or of college professors murdering their 
benefactors. It is this almost total neglect of the 
sensibilities in our education, that imparts such a 
cold intellectuality to our productions. 

" Our addresses and sermons may be compared to 
wax figures. There is the beauty and symmetry of 
proportion ; the arms are of the right length ; the arch- 
ing of the brow, and the contour of the face, are all 
perfect; but there is no beating, palpitating heart 
within. There is no light of love in the eye ; there 
are ho words of tenderness flowing from the lips; 
and there is no prophetic rod in the hand to strike 
the rocky heart, and cause the waters of contrition 
to flow out. Let us therefore strive to avoid these 
errors, which have proved so fatal to others, and are 
such a bar to our own usefulness, remembering that 
though we understand all mysteries and all knowl- 
edge, and have not charity, we are nothing." 

When Mr. Vim had concluded his remarks, Mr. 



196 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



Man-love rose in his place. Xow it should be re- 
membered that this Mr. Man-love is of a noble 
family ; the blood of a thousand kings flows in his 
veins. His ancestors, by their deeds of noble 
daring, have cast into the shade the exploits of the 
warriors and potentates of earth. Therefore we 
shall not be surprised when told that there was a 
death-like stillness in the council when he rose in 
his place. 

"I rise/' said he, "to express my entire assent to 
the truths to which we have just listened, and also to 
point to another weakness, which, if not as fatal, will 
prove as great a bar to our ultimate success in this 
war. I refer, sir, to the want of love and union in 
our ranks. Our King is love, and as his subjects we 
have promised to obey the law of love, and to labor 
to extend the empire of love over the earth. Living 
the life of love, armed with the panoply of love, we 
profess to be moving on to a kingdom of perfect love, 
having been brought into the banqueting-house of 
love, and feasted at the table of love, why, instead of 
exhibiting the fruits of love, do we so often exhibit 
the bitter fruits of envy and strife ? Is the mantle of 
love so cheerless, that we should prefer the heavy 
sackcloth of malice ? Is the panoply of love so 
burdensome, that, entering the armories of hate, 
we should draw from thence carnal weapons ? Hav- 
ing been commanded to kill our enemies with love, 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



19T 



shall we dip our arrows in deadly poison ? Accord- 
ing to our laws of war we are bound, if our enemy 
hunger to feed him ; if he thirst to give him drink ; 
how much more, then, a member of the household of 
faith. We know that there are no weapons of any 
avail in battling with the armies of the aliens, but 
those which have been tempered and bathed in love. 
In the use of hatred and revenge they are more than 
a match for us, for these are weapons which they 
have forged on their own anvil, and in the use of 
which they have been trained all their lives ; and 
shall we imitate their example, and adopt their mode 
of warfare in contending with each other? We 
never use a whip of scorpions when attempting to 
conquer our foes, and can we hope to compel our 
brethren in arms to give up their errors by the lash 
of ridicule ? Many act on the supposition that there 
can be no love in a man's heart while there is a soli- 
tary error in his head, and that, therefore, they are 
justified in tormenting him with the stings of sar- 
casm. Now our enemies in chicanery and intrigue 
are unrivaled ; in spite and hate they are perfect 
adepts ; to the wisdom of the serpent they unite the 
venom of his fang. Let, therefore, those who expect 
to drive from our midst every false dogma by the use 
of violence and malice, invite over bands from our 
enemies as auxiliaries, for they would be as sure to 
conquer as wolves and tigers let loose in a sheep-fold. 



198 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



" For eighteen centuries the want of union in our 
ranks has been, and is now, the great hinderance to 
our success. The history of every tribe and nation 
confirms the words of our King : ' Every kingdom 
divided against itself is brought to desolation.' jSTo 
army can be victorious, no empire can be permanent, 
unless held together by the bands of union. A na- 
tion's rulers may have the wisdom of Solomon, its 
generals may possess the skill and valor of Agamem- 
non, its fleets and armies may be innumerable, its 
treasury inexhaustible, yet if disunion prey upon the 
vitals of that nation, its doom is certain. The wrath 
of Achilles and the want of union among the Hellenic 
tribes at the siege of Troy, was 1 to Greece the direful 
spring of woes unnumbered.' The want of love 
and concert of action among the Athenian generals 
caused the terrible defeat at ^Egospotami, when the 
power of imperial Athens was broken, and the scep- 
ter of Xeptune was wrenched from her hand. It 
was this which caused the free cities of Greece to 
bow down their necks to receive the iron yoke of 
Macedon. It was this which caused the tribes of 
Gaul to fall an easy prey to the legions of Borne. 
It was disunion that baffied all the efforts of the cru- 
saders, and hung a millstone round the neck of pagan 
Rome ; and it is disunion which has been a constant 
drag chain on our chariot wheels. One tithe of the 
men and money expended by the crusaders would 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



199 



have insured their success, if they had been banded 
together in love ; without this their vast armaments 
melted away like snow flakes falling on the sea. It 
is by union that the coral rears up temples, in com- 
parison of which the Colosseum is but a wigwam. It 
is by union the bee repels the aggression of the 
black-winged wasp. It was this that enabled the 
Saracen to meet and vanquish the vast hordes fol- 
lowing the standard of the Hermit, and it was this 
that enabled the Macedonian phalanx to conquer the 
world. And can we expect to sweep away every 
vestige of the City of Sin, if we cast away that 
divine gift of charity which the Apostle calls the 
bond of perfectness ? Not that I would have every 
regiment disbanded, and every brigade dissolved to 
form one grand brigade ; but let each be regarded as 
one of the tribes of the Israel of God, begotten of 
the same Father, led by the same hand, guided 
by the same pillar of fire, surrounded by the same 
dangers, assailed by the same foes, beset by the same 
difficulties, feasted at the same table, cheered by the 
same promises, and journeying to the same eternal 
inheritance. And while each should cherish love 
for his own tribe, and rejoice in its prosperity, he 
should have a broader, deeper love for the united 
tribes composing the Israel of God. I have seen 
a chain composed of ponderous links stretched from 
the earth to the dome of a proud capitol, along 



200 THE CITY OF SIX. 

which the lightnings of heayen passed in safety ; bnt 
let one of those links "be broken, and the sundered 
chain could no longer protect the lofty edifice from 
the fiery bolt. And does not our safety depend on 
our being linked together, man to man, brother to 
brother, and regiment to regiment? Tims united, 
the bolts of our adversaries will fall harmless at 
our feet. The same forethought and skill in de- 
vising, the same energy and valor in executing 
which would cause them to triumph would crown 
our efforts with success. Governed by the same 
physical and mental laws, whatever would bring 
defeat upon them, would bring disaster upon us. 
A spear without a point or barb will be of no more 
use in our hands than in the hands of our foes. If they 
have discovered that a sharp ax will cut better than 
a dull one, that a brave general is more efficient 
than a dotard, that veterans make better fighting 
men than raw recruits, should we refuse to profit by 
their wisdom ? They never officer their armies with 
men who are blind and deaf, neither do they appoint 
dumb men to give the word of command in leading 
the van; and yet we have captains of hundreds, and 
captains of thousands, spiritually blind, deaf, and 
dumb. That a fatal lethargy spreads along our 
ranks is by no means astonishing, when men are 
appointed as leaders whose hearts were never re- 
newed by grace divine, whose eyes were never en- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



201 



lightened with marvellous light. The man who has 
never learned his letters would be poorly qualified 
to perform the duties of a college professor ; yet by a 
miracle the requisite knowledge might be imparted 
unto him, but it would be presumption to expect it : 
in like manner our armies, weakened by disunion, 
officered with men ignorant of the first principles 
of the doctrine of Christ, would be triumphant if 
God would work a miracle, but it would be pre- 
sumption to expect it when he has placed the means 
in our hands, if faithfully used, to ensure victory. 
United, we shall be victorious ; disunited, shame and 
defeat will cover us. We are told that the soldiers 
of Alexander, at the battle of the Granicus, were in 
imminent peril from the loaded chariots and wagons 
which the Persians had placed on an eminence to be 
rolled down as soon as they commenced the ascent ; 
but Alexander commanded those in the van to kneel 
down with one end of their shields resting on the 
earth, while those in the rear locked their shields 
above their heads with those in front, so that the 
loaded chariots rolled over this pavement of shields 
without injuring a hair of their heads. And are not 
the chariots of infidelity, intemperance, and avarice 
loaded and ready to be rolled down upon us ? And 
is there any way of escape but by locking our shields 
above our heads? Thus united, their ponderous 
wheels will fall on us as harmless as so many rain- 



202 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



drops. Disunion among the forces of Alexander at 
that important juncture would have covered his arms 
with defeat. Their lives were in jeopardy, and their 
hopes for the conquest of the world were based on 
their united action. And will not disunion in our 
ranks be attended with the most fatal consequences ? 
Are not our hopes for the conquest of the world 
based on our being united as a band of brothers ? 
How certain would have been their ruin, if, at the 
moment the wheels began to roll, the men of Mace- 
don had refused to lock their shields with Greeks of 
Ionic or Doric blood ? And are we not periling 
the interests of the Church militant, when we refuse 
to join hands and hearts with men of a different 
tribe ? 

" Again, another cause of our weakness is a mis- 
direction of our energies ; for, instead of striving to 
convince the gainsayer, we labor to convince each 
other that our own accouterments and mode of war- 
fare are the best. I can imagine an army drawn out 
in battle array, the cavalry on the right wing, the 
infantry on the left, and the artillery in the center, 
and as the signals are hung out for commencing 
hostilities, and the guns of the enemy begin to play, 
I will imagine that the officers of the cavalry order a 
halt, that they may convince the infantry that their 
mode of fighting is by no means so efficient as their 
own. Now, if the followers of Wesley are the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



203 



cavalry, and those of Luther and Calvin the infantry, 
is it not time and talents thrown away, for the one to 
strive to convince the other that their mode of warfare 
is superior ? Are not both equally useful in bringing 
the world into obedience to our King? Let us, 
therefore, get away from the £ cold shade' of polemics, 
and put away from us c envy, hatred, and malice,' 
that we may keep the c unity of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace.' 

" Could I assemble the officers of our armies, 1 
would point them to the magnanimous conduct of 
Aristides and Themistocles, who, having been for 
years bitter enemies, agreed to bury their enmity, 
and unite together in driving from their shores the 
bannered millions of Xerxes, and say, Shall we not 
bury our animosities, and unite together to drive 
from our world the myriad hordes of sin and hell ? 
Aristides could point to fruitful fields laid waste, 
homes rendered desolate, temples polluted, altars 
overthrown, and to his brethren slaughtered on the 
battle-field, and say, 6 Shall we let enmity reign in 
our hearts, when the sword, stained with the gore of 
our countrymen, is "hair-hung" above our heads?' 
And can I not point to the soul temples polluted, the 
family altars overturned, and to the multitudes who 
have been struck down by the armies of sin and vice, 
and say, Shall we let envy and jealousy fester in our 
hearts, when the same dangers are impending over us ? 



204 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



" It was union that gave victory to the wooden 
walls of the Greeks at Salamis. For their political 
salvation they were willing to forget their enmities ; 
and will we not, for our eternal salvation, give to 
oblivion our animosities, and in a solid phalanx move 
on to the contest \ 

" It is natural for the young to love their play- 
mates, for men who sail in the same ship to love their 
shipmates, for men who contend side by side on the 
battle-field to love their brethren in arms ; and, while 
there is a natural tie which binds us to men of our 
own rank and file, it is not necessary for us to shut 
out from our sympathies those who are marshaled on 
the same field of strife, and share the same perils and 
hardships. TTe are not only commanded to ; love 
the brotherhood/ but to 'esteem' men \ very highly 
in love, for their works* sake/ I have often com- 
pared the laborers in our Master's vineyard to the 
cultivators of the soil in Egypt. As rain never falls 
in Egypt, they are dependent on the Xile for water- 
ing and fertilizing their fields ; hence canals and 
channels are dug, for conveying its waters far out 
into the interior, thus making the desert to bud and 
blossom as the rose ; therefore, every channel dug- 
adds to the wealth and fertility of the soil. And 
may I not say. in like manner, that canals and chan- 
nels are to be dug from the river of truth, for convey- 
ing its waters into the moral deserts on every side of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 205 

us? Hence, every Sunday-school teacher is toiling 
to dig a channel for conveying the waters of knowl- 
edge to the. ignorant, every advocate of temperance 
is carrying the waters of health to the desolate home 
of the drunkard. Every plea for peace, every ex- 
pression of sympathy for the oppressed, every mouth 
opened for the dumb, every prayer offered to the 
Father of mercies, every sermon preached, every 
exhortation addressed to dying men, every Bible and 
tract distributed, every professor in college, every 
teacher of a common school, are all so many hearts 
and hands employed in digging channels for convey- 
ing the waters of life to men dying with thirst. 
Therefore, it matters not whether a man is the presi- 
dent of a university or a colporteur of tracts, whether 
he preaches in the pulpit or in the highway, whether 
he labors as a home or foreign missionary, he should 
be esteemed very highly in love, for his works' sake. 
All this work must be done, all these channels must 
be dug, if we would see the moral wastes around us 
transformed into fruitful fields. And let no one for- 
bid or put a bar in the way of those who have a mind 
for the work : above all, let us remember that we are 
a spectacle to angels and to men, and that we shall 
be questioned as to our efforts in the enterprise, when 
we join the companies of the blessed. 

" We are told that the generals of the Athenian 
forces in the great naval fight at Arginusse, abandon- 



206 THE CITY OF SIX. 

ed one thousand soldiers, who had fought bravely to 
achieve the victory, either to die of their wounds or 
go down with the sinking ships, and when they 
arrived in Athens they were met by the fathers and 
mothers of these men, by whom they were reproach- 
ed for thus leaving their sons to perish, and the only 
excuse they could offer was, that a storm arose soon 
after the battle, and it was judged best tcf retire to 
safe moorings. 

" And are there not fathers and mothers in heaven 
who have sons and daughters on earth wounded and 
sabered by sin and vice, and fast sinking down to the 
pit that is bottomless ? and when we arrive in Para- 
dise will they not question us as to our efforts in 
rescuing their offspring from peril ? And should we 
dare to say in reply, The weather was so inclement, 
rain-storms and snow-storms were so frequent, and we 
were so intent in securing our share of the spoils, and 
looking after our laurels, that we had no time or in- 
clination to look after the eternal welfare of your 
kindred ? Would they not exclaim, 6 Shame, shame 
on such conduct?' The Athenians condemned to 
death the six generals who abandoned their brethren 
in arms to perish on the sinking ships at Arginusse. 
And shall we not stand condemned by our own con- 
sciences and at the bar of God, if we make no effort 
to save the myriads sinking down to death on the 
ships of infidelity, intemperance, avarice, and sensu- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



207 



ality ? Is it not better that we should suffer heat and 
cold, and be annoyed with disgusting sights and 
offensive smells, rather than any should perish for 
whom Christ died ? Should we not willingly, if need 
be, endure the gnawings of hunger rather than that 
they should endure forever the gnawings of the worm 
that never dies ? Will we not willingly give up our 
ease, and go down to labor with the filthy and the 
vile, that they may be exalted to thrones of light, and 
to the warm embrace of the arms of love ? love infi- 
nite and eternal ? love without bottom or shore ? love 
which has conquered death and vanquished the 
grave ? love Divine ? May its influences penetrate 
our hearts and well up in our souls ! then, and not till 
then, shall we be able to go forth, ' fair as the moon, 
clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with 
banners.' " 

At the conclusion of Mr. Man-love's address, Mr. 
Love-love, belonging to the same royal family, ad- 
dressed the council as follows : 

" Men and brethren : The apostle to the Gentiles 
tells us, ' And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these 
three ; but the greatest of these is charity.' But we 
have said, And now abideth charity, hope, faith, these 
three; but the greatest of these is faith; thereby 
reversing the order of God. What he has made the 
superior we have made the inferior; what he has 
placed at the head we have placed at the foot. The 



208 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Church, in every age, in its zeal to exalt faith, has 
caused love and hope to suffer almost a total eclipse. 
To us faith is the sun whose splendors obnubilate 
those heavenly orbs, set by the Father of lights in the 
firmament of the Church, while to the radiant throng 
who stand upon the sea of glass, love is the resplend- 
ent orb whose effulgence pales all other lights, tips 
with gold the pinions of every seraph, and bathes 
every vale and hill-top with a silver sheen. 

" Faith has sundered seas, removed mountains, 
dried up rivers, stayed the sun in his course, and 
shut up the heavens. Faith has ' subdued kingdoms, 
wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped 
the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, 
escaped the edge of the sword, and turned to flight 
the armies of the aliens.' By faith Abel offered 
unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ; 
Enoch walked with God; Xoah prepared an ark to 
the saving of his house ; Abraham when he was tried 
offered up Isaac ; and Moses endured as seeing Him 
who is invisible. By faith others had trial of cruel 
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds 
and imprisonments ; they were stoned, they were 
sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the 
sword; they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat- 
skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. Such are 
the excellence and power of faith, but love is more 
excellent. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



209 



"Hope anchors the soul when tempest-tossed, hold- 
ing it sure and steadfast when the waves and billows 
of woe go over it. Having this hope, Elijah dared to 
step into the chariot of fire, and soar above suns and 
stars ; Daniel dared to lay down and sleep in the den 
of lions, and the Hebrew captives dared to disobey 
the mandate of the King of Babylon, fearing the 
fiery furnace as little as they would an arbor of roses. 
Well might, therefore, the apostle declare, ' Hope 
maketh not ashamed.' Having this hope, Ignatius 
feared not the wrath of Trajan nor the fury of his 
lions ; Polycarp welcomed the stake ; Ireneus, Origen, 
and the noble army of martyrs, were not ashamed to 
confess the faith of Christ crucified. It was this hope 
that stayed the soul of Huss when the red flames of 
the stake played around him. It was this hope that 
anchored the heart of Luther when the thunders of 
the Vatican were heard afar ; and it was this that 
enabled a Latimer and a Ridley to rejoice, knowing 
that the fires kindled to consume their bodies would 
never cease to burn until they had swept away every 
vestige of the bloody house of the Man of Sin. 

" Such is the excellence and power of hope ; but love 
is more excellent and powerful ; for without love, 
faith and hope are powerless. Love is the root 
from whence faith and hope draw their vital force ; 
the heart whose pulsations give unto them life and 
warmth. Love breathes the breath of life into faith; 

14 



210 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



or, rather, love nerves the arm of hope to fight the 
battles of faith. If faith and hope are stars of the 
first magnitude, love is the sun from whence they de- 
rive all their light and heat. And is it not astonish- 
ing that men should turn away from the genial 
warmth of the sun for the glimmering light of the 
stars ? that they should give up the language of love 
for the shibboleth of faith ? Is it not wonderful that 
men should cut off from their sympathies all those 
who cannot repeat their creeds, and subscribe to their 
dogmas? Go through the ranks of the professed 
champions of the religion of love, and how many are 
enveloped in the mists and fogs of prejudice ; how 
few have arrived at that vantage ground from whence 
they can discover that every standard-bearer has re- 
ceived his colors from the same hand, and that all 
are upheld and shielded by Omnipotent Love. How 
many are ready to drive from the Church militant 
all those who will not adopt their uniform and mode 
of warfare, not understanding that all who are not 
against us are for us ! They will not permit men to 
labor in building up the temple of God, because they 
build thereon not only the gold and silver of truth, 
but the wood, hay, and stubble of error; not recol- 
lecting that the fire shall try every man's work, but 
he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. It 
Sobieski, when about to engage with two hundred 
thousand Turks, under the walls of Vienna, had ex- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



211 



eluded from his ranks all who differed from himself 
in dialect and opinions, victory would never have 
perched upon his banners ; and shall we not peril our 
interests and jeopardize our cause, if we drive from 
our ranks all who differ from us in the dialect of 
creeds, to say nothing of the uncharitableness of the 
act? Do errors in the head incapacitate men for 
wielding the sword of the Spirit, and fighting the 
good fight of faith ? Were Calvin, and Edwards, and 
Whitefield any the less efficient laborers because 
they believed in the doctrine of election? Were 
Wesley, and Heber, and Henry Martyn any the less 
zealous champions of the cross because they sub- 
scribed to the Thirty-nine Articles ? Were Carey, and 
Ward, and Judson any the less devoted as missiona- 
ries because they believed in baptism by immersion ? 
Did not each, in his appointed sphere, shed light on 
the dark night of our world ? Did not all toil with 
equal zeal in building up that spiritual temple, whose 
foundation is in His holy mountain ? Yet how many 
there are so wanting in charity, that, instead of re- 
vering the memories of these men, they are ready to 
question their piety, decry their virtues, and cast 
suspicion on their fair fame ; and all because they im- 
agine that they can discover, mixed in with the gold, 
silver, and precious stones, which they have brought 
to the temple, the wood, hay, and stubble of false doc- 
trine ; not being willing to wait till those fires are kin- 



212 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



died which shall ' try every man's work of what sort it 
is.' How many are so wanting in that charity which 
' suffereth long, and is kind,' that they are ready to 
pour contempt on the memory of every man in whose 
writings a sediment of error can be found ! It mat- 
ters not that his thoughts and words are like apples 
of gold in pictures of silver ; if the least dross or alloy 
is apparent, they are to be handed over to oblivion. 
He may have been renowned for the purity of his 
life and the abundance of his labors ; sympathy may 
have welled up from his heart, genius flashed from 
his eye, and eloquence rolled from his tongue, yet if 
his orthodoxy has been blown upon, his name must 
be branded with infamy. Thomas a Kempis, Fenelon, 
and Pascal, owing to the circumstances of their birth 
and education, believed in the supremacy of the 
pope, therefore their immortal works must be con- 
signed to the flames. Luther and Melancthon be- 
lieved in consubstantiation ; Calvin and Beza held 
to unconditional election; Fletcher, "Watson, and 
Adam Clarke believed in the tenets of Arminius ; 
Fuller, Hall, and Foster believed in immersion ; 
Edwards, D wight, and Chalmers in predestination; 
therefore all their writings, so fragrant with noble 
thoughts and generous sentiments, are to be entered 
in the Index Prohibitory of these self-constituted 
popes. Such is the magnifying power of their glasses, 
that the moon no longer appears the fairy queen of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



213 



night, but a huge pile of volcanic rocks. The sun no 
longer commands their admiration, since certain dark 
spots have been discovered on its surface. They will 
not drink water until they have first chemically an- 
alyzed its properties, to discover if any impurities are 
contained therein. Now, from all such un charitable- 
ness, I most sincerely pray, ' Good Lord, deliver us !' 
And yet these very men abominate the narrow policy 
of the Roman pontiff; they commiserate his devotees, 
whose darkened minds are shut out from the light of 
those stars which glow in the heavens of the Church 
universal ; they ridicule his Index Expurgatory, as a 
vain attempt to chain down the waves of truth, as 
they roll on, sweeping away the flimsy breakwater 
which he has thrown up to defend his dread domain 
from the advancing tide of reason. They regard his 
hierarchy as a glittering temple of ice ; the w r alls and 
aisles, the columns and arches, are of the most approved 
Gothic architecture ; the carving and gilding of the 
altar are perfect, but no fire of love flames thereon; the 
artistic skill of centuries has been employed in paint- 
ing its windows, but they shut out, instead of letting 
in, the genial light of heaven ; without and within 
this ice-walled temple is the chill of death. 

" To these men I would say, Beware lest ye also 
pitch your tents so near its walls that your own 
hearts will be penetrated by its frosts. While you 
pity the monk in his cell, dig not a grave for your 



214 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



own hearts. While you laugh at the mad attempt 
of the pope to chain the waves of truth, do not imi- 
tate his example ; while you deprecate his blindness 
to true merit, do not let the rust of exclusiveness eat 
out the life of charity in your own souls ; while he 
drives his adherents into inclosures of frost and dark- 
ness, see to it that there is warmth and light in your 
own habitations ; and while you contend earnestly 
for the faith, cast not away that charity which 
' vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.' For my own 
part, I am free to confess that I have a greater love 
for the Abbe de l'Epee, w T ho deprived himself of the 
necessaries of life that he might teach the dumb to 
i speak with the hands, and hear with the eyes,' al- 
though he believed in all the dogmas of Rome, than 
I have for that pleasure-loving priest who, professing 
to be sound in the faith, spends his time in ignoble 
ease. My heart yearns more intensely toward the 
peace-making and liberty-loving Penn and Clarkson, 
than toward those ministers of the Gospel who, hav- 
ing inherited or married a fortune, shamefully neglect 
to feed the flock of God, which an almighty Redeemer 
purchased with his most precious blood. My soul is 
more closely knit to the memories of Brainerd and 
Eliot than to those men who, repeating the most 
ancient creeds, chanting the most solemn anthems, 
and reciting the most devout prayers, live and die 
gluttons and wine-bibbers. 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



215 



" In former years men were estimated for their 
rank and blood. The time will come when merit 
and moral worth will be the standard. The time 
was when men were held together by the formulas of 
faith ; the time will come when love and works of 
love will be the bond of union: the first resembles the 
capillary attraction of the sponge, the last the chain of 
attraction encircling all worlds ; the first is the elective 
affinity which gathers men into clans, the last is the 
bond which binds them in one common brotherhood. 

"While I thus exalt charity, do not imagine that I 
wish to decry the power and excellence of faith and 
hope ; for I may say, that faith is the eye with which 
we discern the rainbow of hope with which love has 
spanned our heavens ; faith is the pitcher with which 
we draw the waters of hope from the rivers of love ; 
faith is the cable, hope the anchor, but love is the 
forerunner within the vail ; faith climbs the rounds 
of hope in the patriarchal ladder which love has 
reared up, whose top reacheth unto heaven. Again, 
I may say that love scatters the manna in this our 
wilderness ; faith goes out and gathers it : love 
sprinkles our heavens with innumerable constella- 
tions ; faith is the telescope by which we discover 
their magnitude : love has brought down to earth the 
wardrobe of the skies ; faith enables us to enter in 
and put on the livery of hope : love has reared up on 
the shores of time, the arsenal into which faith 



216 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



enables us to enter, that we may put on the armor of 
righteousness on the right hand and on the left. 
Faith in dogmas builds lofty temples ; faith that 
works by love, homes for the orphan ; the first founds 
and endows monasteries, the last hospitals for the sick 
and asylums for the blind ; one walks up carpeted 
stairs to kneel on velvet cushions, the other climbs up 
filthy stairways to kneel by the bedside of the sick 
and dying ; the first goes on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, 
the last walks many a weary mile to visit the widow 
and the fatherless in their afflictions ; one feeds those 
of its own household, the other its enemies. Dogmatic 
faith embroiders sacerdotal vestments and altar-cloths, 
and travels far to visit the shrines of dead saints; 
charity clothes the naked, visits the sick, and ministers 
unto those who are in prison ; the first has its seat in 
the head, the last has its throne in the heart ; the first 
shall ' vanish away,' the last ' never faileth for that 
charity which beareth all things, believeth all things, 
hopeth all things, endureth all things, never faileth. 
Thrones and dynasties shall be overturned ; the voice 
of prophecy shall fail ; the tongue of eloquence shall 
cease to utter its melodies ; the flash of wit shall go 
out in darkness ; the pencil of the limner and the pen 
of the ready writer shall drop from nerveless hands ; 
kingdoms and diadems shall be ground to powder; 
suns and planets shall be hurled from their thrones of 
light ; but charity, sprung from the bosom of God, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



never faileth. Riches and power shall fail, health 
and beauty, fame and honor, shall fail ; but the coronal 
of charity shall burn with a luster undimmed, when 
every star in the diadem of night shall have gone out 
in the blackness of darkness. 

"If, therefore, the scepter of charity is so potent, and 
her empire so permanent ; if angels and seraphs are 
her train-bearers, if martyrs and confessors stand 
about her throne, shall we hesitate for a moment to 
give in pur allegiance to her sway ? Shall we yield 
ourselves to the arms of hate, when charity is ready 
to draw us to her warm embrace? Shall we deck 
ourselves with the tinsel of pride and vanity, when 
charity opens her casket and proffers the pearl of 
great price ? Shall we let envy and jealousy nestle 
in our hearts, like adders in the palaces of Babylon, 
when charity with her celestial train is ready to come 
in and abide with us forever ? When Omnipotence 
failed to subdue rebellious man with the fires of 
Sinai, shall we go to its flaming mount to draw from 
thence bolts of wrath to destroy our enemies ? "Were 
not the words of love and kindness spoken by the 
apostles, more efficient in conquering men's hearts 
than all the peals of that trumpet waxing louder 
and louder for a thousand years ? The murky waves 
of the deluge never deepened the well of love in a 
human soul ; the plagues which passed over Egypt 
never awakened emotions of tenderness in a single 



218 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



heart ; the thunders of Sinai never caused the tears 
of contrition to now down the cheek of mortal ; and 
never, until the Son of God exclaimed on the cross, 
6 Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,' 
was the great deep of humanity broken up. And it 
is this exhibition of love, and not the terror of the 
law, which has melted all hearts into contrition, 
tendered the sensibilities of the most obdurate, and 
torn away the gall of malice from the souls of men ; 
and yet how many among us are rather the soldiers 
and champions of creeds and dogmas than the soldiers 
and champions of love. Many are adepts in every 
art but the art of love, skilled in every science but 
the science of love, schooled in every philosophy 
but the philosophy of love, familiar with every 
religion but the religion of love. Many study every 
language but the language of love, not understanding 
that a knowledge of every dialect of the babbling 
earth will not impart unto them a knowledge of the 
dialect of heaven. This knowledge was never 
taught in the schools of learning ; it never welled up 
in the porch or academy ; it never flowed out from the 
Castalian fount, nor gushed up with the waters of 
Zemzem. The spreading dome, the painted walls, the 
gilded altar, the mitered priest, and the smoking 
censer, cannot impart this divine gift of charity unto 
us ; it comes, if it comes at all, froni the bosom of 
God. Men may sprinkle us with holy water, put 



THE CITY 6F SIIST. 



219 



crosses on our foreheads and spittle in our eyes ; 
they may pronounce over us the most solemn words, 
and chant over us the most ancient litanies, but they 
can never pour into our hearts this love Divine ' all 
love excelling for it is shed abroad in our hearts by 
the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. The confes- 
sional cannot impart it, all the bishops and cardinals 
in the world cannot bestow it, neither can it be 
bought with gold. As light and heat are shed abroad 
over the earth by the sun, so the light and heat of 
love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. 
All other means of warming man's frozen nature 
would be as vain as attempting to chase away with a 
rush-light the frost and darkness of a polar winter. 
Philosophers like Plato, Zeno, and Seneca, have held 
up their torch-lights to drive away the darkness from 
our world ; but they remind us of shipwrecked mari- 
ners wandering over fields of ice, seeking for a shel- 
ter from the storm, the torches which they hold above 
their heads only revealing tattered and ice-covered 
garments, visages haggard and care-worn, and dismal 
ice-hills looming in the distance; thus all the light 
which they have thrown on our world, has only 
revealed the haggard features of our moral nature, 
and a dread eternity looming in the future, and it 
was not till the cloven tongues of fire rested upon men, 
that the chill of death yielded to the warmth of love, 
and the deformity of sin to the beauty of holiness. 



220 



THE CTTY OF SIN. 



" We are told that knowledge is power, and so 
are wealth and rank; so are truth and eloquence. 
There is power in faith ; it can remove mountains : 
there is power in hope ; it can anchor the soul to the 
Rock of Ages ; but love is more powerful. There is 
power in the earthquake and in the whirlwind ; there 
is power in the volcano and the avalanche ; but love 
is more powerful. There was no earthquake or whirl- 
wind that could have overturned the empire of Pa- 
ganism, which the demons of darkness had been 
building up and intrenching for a thousand years, 
an empire that extended from the river to the ends 
of the earth. The thrones of Jupiter and Mars, of 
Bacchus and Yenus, were more ancient than that of 
Caesar; their scepters more potent, and their subjects 
more numerous ; their temples more gorgeous, and 
their dominion more boundless ; and yet twelve igno- 
rant fishermen, armed with omnipotent love, dashed 
in pieces this empire, tore off the massy crowns of 
demon- gods, crumbled altars reeking with human gore, 
transformed their temples into sanctuaries, where were 
heard, instead of frantic orgies, halleluiahs and hosan- 
nas to the Son of David. "With hearts throbbing with 
love, they overturned that mighty tree whose 
branches extended over seas and continents, whose top 
reached up to heaven, whose roots struck down to hell; 
a tree which had bidden defiance to the whirlwinds 
which swept away thrones and dynasties, kingdoms 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



221 



and empires, as the chaff of the summer's thresh- 
ing-floor. May this love burn in our hearts until 
every unholy thought, every root of bitterness, every 
vestige of sin, be consumed ; then shall we be able to 
take up and heroically wield those weapons which are 
' mighty through God to the pulling down of strong- 
holds.' " 

At the conclusion of Mr. Love-love's address, Mr. 
Yaliant rose to the question, and said : 

" Mr. Chairman : We have had several exhorta- 
tions to love and union, to which I have listened 
with great pleasure ; but as yet we have had no defi- 
nite plan presented to us for carrying on this war 
more vigorously. Love is an element of power, but 
power, to be of any avail, must be applied ; how, 
when, and where that power shall be used, are ques- 
tions of vast importance. Sagacity in choosing a 
battle-field is often the pledge of victory. This was 
the peculiar trait of Hannibal and Marlborough. 
Wisdom to decide when to fight and when to forbear 
fighting, was the peculiar quality of Fabius and 
Washington ; but how to make a given power tell the 
most terribly in assailing a more powerful antagonist, 
was a quality of mind peculiar to the latter. With a 
handful of undisciplined militia he met and vanquish- 
ed the veteran bands of Britain. In like manner 
Napoleon, on the plains of Italy, with fifty thousand 
French soldiers, conquered two hundred thousand 



222 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Austrians. And this they accomplished because they 
knew how, when, and where to use the power put 
into their hands. Power is powerless unless applied : 
a battle-ship will never achieve a naval victory 
in a dry-dock ; a lever of sufficient power to move the 
globe is but lumber in a ware-house ; knowledge 
hoarded up in the brain, or love sealed up in the 
heart, will be as water locked up in a tank in India, 
when the drought of summer has dried up the fount- 
ains and rivers. Stinted rations should be dealt out 
to a ship's crew when under a stress of weather, but 
that they should be put on a short allowance when 
in a friendly port, would evince a depravity un- 
heard of in the annals of crime. It was right 
for the Egyptians to go on building store-houses 
during the years of plenty, but to have gone on 
building granaries during the years of famine would 
have been madness. And are not many of us who 
sit here to-day as useless, morally, as a man-of-war in 
a dry-dock ? If the waters of salvation have been 
poured into our hearts, will we not open the reservoir 
and give to the thirsty souls around us? £ Te are the 
salt of the earth,' said our Saviour to his disciples ; 
and as these words come down to us through the 
whispering-gallery of past centuries, they lose none of 
their intensity and force. The ocean, deprived of the 
salt contained in its waters, would soon become a vast 
body of corruption, whose direful exhalations would 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



223 



carry death to all that breathe the vital air. And is not 
our world morally a dismal swamp, a putrid marsh, 
over which and around which death reigns and revels ? 
Into this putrescent mass the Lord Jesus sent his dis- 
ciples, to cleanse and to purify, and it was only by 
mingling with these waters and diffusing the savor of 
their holy lives, that the green scum which had been 
forming for ages could be removed, and the rotten- 
ness and corruption therein destroyed ; and although 
they met at every step disgusting sights and offen- 
sive smells, they moved on fearlessly and nobly, dif- 
fusing around them the sweet odors of holiness. In 
life and in death they were always to be found pour- 
ing the Divine influences of a Divine faith upon the 
corruptions around them. And here I would ask, 
W as the salt of divine grace put into our hearts that 
we, sick at heart with the stench going up from the 
dead sea of human depravity, should hide it in our 
heart-cells ? Can we sweeten the bitter waters around 
us by building Gothic temples for ourselves, and 
excluding therefrom the poverty-stricken? Can we 
abate the sorrows, diminish the corruptions, and 
drive away the impurities of our world, by shutting 
ourselves up in ceiled houses ? The vast deposits of 
salt contained in the caverns of the ocean are 
brought up and mingled with its waters by the con- 
stant action of its waves ; hence every wind that 
sweeps over its surface not only purifies its waters, 



224 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



but carries health and life to the dwellers on the land. 
In like manner, every providence which compels ns 
to mingle with the world, which drives us into its 
marshes, enables us to shed upon the reeking corrup- 
tions thereof the fragrance of holiness. All the gold 
hid away in the Sierra Nevada will never benefit 
mankind unless dug up and put in circulation ; all the 
gold of knowledge, meekness, virtue, faith, hope, and 
love, locked up in our hearts, will never benefit the 
world unless put in circulation. If we would make 
our bankrupt world 'rich toward God,' pour the 
affluence of the skies into the cold hut of poverty, 
and put into the hands of the homeless title-deeds to 
an inheritance incorruptible, we must no longer 
hoard like the miser. ' Freely ye have received, 
freely give.' Have we received pardon ? then let us 
forgive our enemies. Have we received sympathy 
from the throbbing heart of the Father Almighty ? 
then let us show pity to the erring. Have we 
received the chalice of immortality ? then let us press 
it to lips parched with thirst. Have we received 
light from above ? then let us illumine the pathway of 
the wanderer. Have we received the bread of life ? 
let us share our loaf with the famishing multitudes 
around us. Have our chains been knocked off, and 
our prison doors been opened ? let us break open the 
prison doors of our brethren held in the fetter-bands 
of unbelief. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



225 



" Let us listen for one moment to the teachings of 
nature. Do the clouds receive the mists from the 
ocean? how freely do they pour the refreshing show- 
ers on all the thirsty ground. Do the flowers draw 
nectarian juices from the dew and the rain? how 
freely do they shed upon our pathway their sweet 
odors. Do the fruit-bearing trees receive nourish- 
ment from the earth and the air ? how gladly do they 
bend their golden boughs to the hand of the eater. 
Does the earth receive seed from the sower? how 
generously does she yield 6 sixty and a hundred 
fold.' Do the planets receive light and heat from 
the king of day ? how freely do they give back their 
borrowed splendors from their imperial thrones. 
Does the ocean receive the waters of ten thousand, 
rivers ? how liberally does it send up its mists to re- 
plenish the clouds. And shall we pass through life 
as clouds without water, flowers without fragrance, 
trees without fruit, stars without light, reservoirs into 
which streams of mercy are ever flowing, and never 
water the moral wastes around us ? If our eyes have 
been opened and our ears unstopped, will we not 
labor to bring the blind and dumb to Him who has 
healed us of all our infirmities ? Where is the dumb 
man who, having been taught to 6 hear with his eyes 
and to speak with his hands,' would not burn with 
intense desire to tell the glad news to his fellow- 
sufferers ? And if he had brothers and sisters whose 

15 



226 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



tongues had been tied lip from their birth, what 
hardships would he not encounter, that they might 
be partakers of the benefit ? And will we not wel- 
come toil and pain, to announce to our kindred, and 
even to our enemies, that a Divine Physician hath 
appeared, who can open blind eyes and unstop deaf 
ears? 

" I will imagine that I had been a resident of Lon- 
don when smitten by the plague, and that the dis- 
temper had fastened upon my body and was hurry- 
ing me into eternity ; and at that moment a heavenly 
visitant appears at my bedside, proffering unto me 
an antidote, which arrests the disease and restores me 
to health, at the same time saying unto me, ' Freely 
ye have received, freely give.' Would I not have run 
through the streets announcing to the panic-stricken 
inhabitants my deliverance from death, and that I 
held in my hand a remedy for all ? Now, is not our 
world a plague-smitten city? Does not sin, as a 
pestilence, walk through every street and lane there- 
of? And has not 1 God manifest in the flesh' applied 
to our hearts the balm of Gilead, that we may tell 
the glad news to the filthy and the vile on every side 
of us ? 

"But we should remember that it will be of no 
use for us to start on this mission while our own 
bodies are spotted with the plague. "While we bid 
men beware of the tongue of the flatterer, let us not 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



227 



imbibe its venom ; while we cry out against pride 
and vanity, let us not go flounced in their apparel ; 
while we bid men beware of the whirlpools of mam- 
mon, let them not see us 6 greedy of filthy lucre ;' for 
it is by the power of our example that we clinch the 
words we utter. And here is our great mistake ! we 
fail to apply the power put into our hands. There is 
power sufficient in the cataract of Niagara to set all 
the wheels in the globe in revolution, but its power, 
not being applied, is rendered powerless. There is 
power in the Church militant sufficient to roll up the 
dark continents of our globe to the holy light which 
streams from the portals of bliss ; but, alas, how 
are its energies wasted and its powers squandered ! 
How many among us are wasting their energies in 
wielding the polemic sword, tilling the world with 
vast tomes of useless learning, around which the 
mold will soon gather! How many spend their 
years in delving among Greek roots, when they 
should be employed in rooting out the roots of bit- 
terness in their own hearts ! How many waste their 
precious time in seeking the tracks of fossiliferous 
birds, when they should be searching for the tracks 
w 7 hich sin and sorrow have made upon the throbbing 
heart of humanity ! We mourn over the wasted en- 
ergies of men of genius, and we are ready to exclaim, 
What a swelling tide of sacred song would a Burns 
have poured upon the Church, if, to the light of 



228 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



genius, there had been added the beauty of holiness ! 
"With what persuasive accents would Sheridan have 
pleaded the cause of revealed truth, if he had been 
robed in the mantle of purity, and his lips had been 
touched with a live coal from the altar of heaven ! 
How the pillars of infidelity would have shook and 
trembled under the battle-ax of a Coleridge, if his 
colossal intellect had been 'endued w^ith power from 
on high ! ' When we contemplate the untiring ener- 
gies of Attila and Alaric, we are ready to say, O, that 
they could have led their bannered millions forth to 
fight the battles of faith, instead of pouring the lava 
fires of ruin over islands and continents ! And yet 
the history of the Church for the last thousand years 
is a history of polemic wars ; talents prostituted to 
the aggrandizement of party ; powers squandered, or 
employed in the pursuit of learned trifles ; marshals 
of the cross, instead of charging as moral Iseys upon 
the armies of the aliens, driving in whirlwind fury 
over the embattled plains of the militant Church ; 
admirals and vice-admirals, instead of storming the 
flotillas and armadas of error, either pouring a broad- 
side into ships of the line sailing under the same flag, 
bound to the same port, and commissioned by the 
same king; or else doubling the capes of curiosity, 
sounding the bays and estuaries of philosophy, and 
exploring the seas of antiquity, they at last enter the 
port of death, not freighted with a rich harvest of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



229 



souls, but with antiquarian lore and the curiosities of 
literature., What a torrent of indignation would 
have been poured upon the hero of the Nile, if, when 
sent forth to annihilate the naval power of France 
and Spain, he had, instead of striking that terrible 
blow at Trafalgar, led his fleet away to explore the 
flora and fauna of the tropics. Did the 'man of 
destiny' vanquish the banded armies of Europe, shut 
up in the Tuileries ? Did Wellington, when driving 
the indomitable Soult across the Pyrenees, waste his 
energies rumaging amid the ruins of baronial castles ? 
Should not such examples shame us out of our leth- 
argy, and spur us on to action ? One tithe of the en- 
ergy of Napoleon and his veteran corps, on our part, 
would carry the banner of Calvary round the globe, 
build a school-house in -every valley, a church on ev- 
ery hill-top, and place a Bible in every hovel. The 
battles of Cannae, Borodino, and Eylau, were never 
fought by men half asleep and half awake ; and can 
we hope to subdue the unholy wills of men, rend 
asunder the riveted bands of vicious habits, and 
conquer their prejudices, by taking up our abode in 
dreamland ? 

a The Norman invader did not wrench the scepter 
from the hand of Harold, reposing on a bed of down; 
Columbus did not discover America, in quiet moor- 
ings; Galileo did not reveal unto mortals the immen- 
sity of the universe, serenely dozing in his arm-chair ; 



230 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



and can we expect to wrench the scepter from the 
prince of the power of the air, reclining on sofas and 
ottomans? Can we reveal unto men sitting in the 
region and shadow of death the marvelous light, 
writing scholastic sermons in summer parlors? Shall 
we not have to climb mountains of ice, and traverse 
furious seas, if we would see the wandering tribes of 
earth brought to a knowledge of the truth? Are 
there not multitudes around us as ignorant as Hotten- 
tots, of God, of Christ, and of the plan of redemption? 
And shall we refuse to enter those moral marshes, 
because in ascending to those garrets we cannot walk 
up carpeted stairs, or because in descending to dismal 
cellars we shall not be regaled with the perfumes of 
rose-water? Was the savor of holiness imparted unto 
us that we might diffuse it in the halls of learning, 
or in the hovels of poverty ? Was the candle of the 
Lord placed in our candlestick to light up the sa- 
loons of the great, or to illumine the squalid huts of 
the poor? Are we sent out to console men whose 
'eyes stand out with fatness, 5 or to bind up the bro- 
ken-hearted? If our world is a vast lazaretto, can 
we transform it into a paradise by preaching and 
praying in gorgeous temples, kneeling on velvet 
cushions? It may shock our sensibilities to go down 
into these regions of death, it may offend our taste ; 
but the having offered the hopes of the Gospel to one 
of the children of sorrow and shame, will be a greater 



THE CITY OF SIIST. 



231 



consolation to ns when dying than all the scientific 
truths and literary gems we may have exhibited be- 
fore the noble and the gay. 

"And in letting ourselves down into these seas of 
depravity, we should remember that the Gospel of 
the Son of God will be unto us as a sub-marine 
armor, therefore we have nothing to fear. Taking 
faith as our diving bell, and making fast our hold 
upon the pillars of Omnipotence, we can go down 
into these depths with the assurance that the treas- 
ures we gather will shine in our coronal when the 
stars have gone out in eternal night. Let not, there- 
fore, the Alpine glaciers of Pantheism, nor the yawn- 
ing chasms of crime, affright us; let not the earth- 
quake throes of papal Rome, nor the hissings of the 
fangless serpent, fill us with dismay ; for we bear in 
our hands the torch of salvation, which we have re- 
ceived, blood-stained, from the hands of martyrs and 
confessors ; which has been waved in triumph from 
the mountains of Bohemia and the fires of Smith- 
field ; a torch which, carried into the hovels of pov- 
erty and woe, will shine upon our dying pillow, flash 
unearthly splendors along the dark valley and shadow 
of death, and, when planted on the mount of God, 
will burn and glow when the sun is blown out, and 
the stars are wrapped together as a shriveled scroll." 

At the conclusion of Mr. Valiant's remarks, Mr. 
Dignity rose to address the council. Now Mr. Dig- 



232 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



nity had been educated at one of the first universities 
in the land ; his mind had also been enriched, and 
his views enlarged, by foreign travel. Graceful in per- 
son and captivating in manners, he was gladly re- 
ceived into the circles of wealth and fashion. The 
inheritor of a large moneyed and landed estate, he 
was courted and caressed by those whom the "god 
of this world hath blinded." He commenced his ad- 
dress by saying : 

" Mr. Chairman : It is with no little trepidation 
that I now rise before this august assembly. But I 
am anxious to know, sir, if I was mistaken as to my 
views of this religion, which I have adopted as my 
own. I was told that I was to receive an 6 easy yoke' 
and a c light burden.' I did not expect, when I em- 
barked in the ship of the Gospel, that I should be 
compelled to work my passage to heaven. I imagined, 
when I received my certificate of church member- 
ship, that I was the holder of a £ through ticket' to the 
Celestial City. But according to the doctrine of Mr. 
Valiant, we are all, rich and poor, learned and igno- 
rant, liable to be piped on deck whenever the first 
tempest sweeps over us. For my part, sir, I have 
always been accustomed to sail in ships where I 
could have a comfortable state-room, and servants to 
attend upon me. In other words, if the sick are to 
be visited, and the outcasts to be brought in, let us 
hire the lowest of the people to do this work. If this 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



233 



war is to be carried on, let us employ mercenaries to 
fight our battles, that we may be saved from the filth 
of the camp and the perils of the fight. We hire 
carpenters to build our houses, husbandmen to till 
our fields, and sailors to man our ships. There always 
have been, and there always must be, in every com- 
munity, hewers of wood and drawers of water. There 
must always be a head to plan and direct, while the 
feet and hands do the work ; and it cannot be ex- 
pected of us who have been born to wealth and 
reared in refinement, to give up our luxuries, and go 
down to labor with the sorrowing children of shame. 
I am willing to contribute liberally toward rearing 
homes of refuge for the unfortunate ; but my atten- 
tion is so engrossed with other matters, that I have 
neither time nor inclination to attend to such duties. 
And here I would ask, sir, "Why do we fill our libra- 
ries with books, if we are not to read them ? Why 
do we purchase pictures at great expense, if we are 
not to study and admire them? Why do we build 
observatories and erect telescopes, if we are not to 
survey the fields of light ? And why, sir, do we 
plant flower-gardens, if we are not to be regaled with 
the fragrance thereof? I am thinking, sir, that I 
should make a very awkward appearance climbing 
up some narrow stairway to a dismal garret, and 
kneeling down, not on a velvet cushion, but on a 
filthy floor by the bedside of a dying debauchee, 



234 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



whose conscience has been quickened into life by the 
near approach of the king of terrors ; whose weep- 
ing wife and children stand around, appalled at his 
wailing cry of distress. I say again, we must have 
men from the lowest of the people to do this work ; 
for I look upon my certificate of church-membership 
as a policy insuring me against all perils, which enti- 
tles me, when I take my exit from time, to all the 
emoluments of the upper sanctuary. If I am mis- 
taken, sir, in this matter, it is evident to all that I 
am most sadly mistaken." 

To whom Mr. Valiant replied : "You were promised 
a 'light burden' and an ' easy yoke,' and I would ask, 
Was not the burden of guilt more intolerable, and 
the yoke of lust more galling than all the duties 
which our religion enjoins ? Is not the fear of death 
more tormenting than the stench of a cold damp 
basement? A certain American general declared 
that he would willingly work two thirds of his time 
as a galley-slave, if he could be freed from the dread 
of death. And have you not received that shield 
whereby you can quench his fiery darts ? 

"You 'did not expect to work your passage to 
heaven P And is the ship of the Gospel fitted up 
with saloons and splendid state-rooms for the rich, 
while the poor are to be thrust down into the fore- 
castle ? Are the commands, ' Work out your own 
salvation with fear and trembling,' s Fight the good 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



235 



fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,' addressed only 
to the poor and ignorant ? For my part, I planted 
my feet upon the broad deck of this heaven-bound 
ship with the assurance, that among all its compa- 
nies there was 'neither Jew nor Greek, there was 
neither bond nor free, there was neither male nor 
female ; for we are all one in Christ Jesus.' 

"You tell us that you have been accustomed 
to sail in ships where you could have servants to at- 
tend upon you ; but do you not see written on every 
sail and yard-arm of this noble ship, 'Every man 
shall bear his own burden V 

"You say, 'If the sick are to be visited, and the 
outcasts to be brought in, let us hire the lowest of the 
people to do this work.' But I would ask, Are there 
any talents however rare, or any genius however 
resplendent, or any rank however exalted, but would 
be ennobled by being consecrated to this work? 
Have we not the promise that kings shall become 
nursing fathers, and queens nursing-mothers ? 

" You would be 6 saved from the filth of the camp 
and the perils of the fight.' Did Richard the Lion- 
hearted, or Gustavus, or Charles the Twelfth, or 
Frederic the Great, shrink from the filth of the camp 
or the perils of the fight ? Princes and potentates as 
exalted in rank and as noble in birth as yourself, 
have encountered hardships the most appalling, 
while fighting the battles of ambition, and shall we 



236 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



not willingly brave all dangers while fighting the 
battles of faith ? 

" You ask. ' Why do we fill our houses with libra- 
ries, if we are not to read them V And in reply I 
would ask. Is not the red-lettered volume of humanity 
a more precious book, containing profounder lessons 
of wisdom, than can be found in all the libraries of the 
world? Would not the study of this volume render 
you a wiser and a better man than though you spent 
your days and nights in devouring tomes of classic 
learning \ "Was there ever a profound philosopher, or 
able lawgiver, or sublime poet, or thrilling painter, 
who did not study this book more than all others ? If 
Socrates is the prince of philosophers, and Shakspeare 
the prince of poets, it is because they gave their 
days and nights to its study. 

a You ask, * Why do we purchase pictures at great 
expense, if we are not to study and admire them V 
But are not the lanes and alleys of every commer- 
cial city filled with picture-galleries more worthy of 
your study than all the cartoons and madonnas of 
Rome and Florence ? "Will you not find the colors 
more natural, the light and shade more exquisitely 
blended ? If you would see shame mantling the 
cheek of beauty, resignation on the rack of poverty, 
hope towering above despair, and love stronger than 
death, then go and view the delineations drawn by 
the pencil of sorrow. 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



237 



" Why build observatories, 6 if we are not to survey 
the fields of light?' But take a survey of the moral 
firmament, and will you not find suns and stars, a 
knowledge of whose orbits and revolutions will be far 
more interesting? In those heavens you will dis- 
cover talent and worth suffering a perpetual eclipse, 
nebulae rising above nebulae, all radiant with the 
light of genius, only requiring the hand of culture to 
separate and roll out stars of the first magnitude. 

"'Why plant flower-gardens if we are not to be 
regaled with their fragrance?' But I would ask 
you to go out into the moral wastes around you, 
where, you will find, 

* Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.' 

Go, gather these flowers by the wayside, and trans- 
plant them into the gardens of the Church, and they 
will perfume your path all along the journey of life, 
shed around your dying pillow a rich aroma, and 
when passed to the spirit-land you will find that the 
cycles of eternity cannot diminish their fragrance. 

" You imagine that you would ' make an awkward 
appearance kneeling down in a garret by the bedside 
of a dying debauchee.' Permit me to ask, Did Peter 
the Great make an awkward appearance when he 
left the palace of the Czars, and went down to labor, 
covered with dust and sweat, in the ship-yards of 



238 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



Holland? Where does he present the sublimest 
spectacle : reposing in the Kremlin, surrounded by 
the gilded butterflies that flutter their brief hour in 
the presence of royalty ; or, ax in hand, surrounded 
by the hardy ship-builders of Zaandam? Did La- 
fayette make an awkward appearance when he bade 
farewell to the splendors of a court, and put his life 
in jeopardy, fighting the battles of freedom ? "Was he 
rendering himself illustrious, luxuriating in his an- 
cestral home, or mingling with naked and starving 
men in their rude huts at Valley Forge ? And what 
shall I say of Howard, who gave up the endear- 
ments of his English villa, and went over Europe, 
visiting its plague-infected prisons, pouring the light 
of love into dungeons, into which the star of hope 
had never shot its genial rays ? Or of Elizabeth Fry, 
preaching in prisons to men nurtured in crime and 
ripe for the gallows ? Finally, I would ask, with all 
reverence, Did the Lord of glory make an awkward 
appearance washing his disciples' feet, and wiping 
them with the towel wherewith he was girded? 

" Did the Prince of Peace, in making his advent 
into our world, choose a stable for his birthplace? 
did he yield obedience as the son of a carpenter? did 
he call around him fishermen ignorant of letters ? did 
he take up little children in his arms, and bless them ? 
did he eat with publicans and sinners ? did he suffer 
himself to be brought as a prisoner to the bar of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



239 



Pilate, to be robed in scarlet, sceptered with a reed ? 
and crowned with thorns? does he, when buffeted, 
and spit upon, and reviled, remain dumb as a sheep 
before its shearers ? does he, when nailed to the cross, 
and reproached by his foes, pray, 'Father, forgive 
them?' he therein teaches by example, more power- 
fully than words can express, the lessons of humility, 
obedience, compassion, and forbearance. So match- 
less the wisdom, so rich the imagery, so pungent the 
words which flowed from his lips, that, in our admira- 
tion and bewilderment, we are prone to forget the 
lessons he has taught us in his glorious and God-like 
example ; and never before were precept and example 
so happily blended. Men acute in intellect, subtle 
in wisdom, and sagacious in counsel, had flourished 
in every age ; but they were never able to enforce 
their lessons by the power of example. Plato, hating 
tyrants with a perfect hatred, talks sublimely of the 
equality of the human race ; but in practice he was 
the most exclusive of mortals, shutting out from his 
sympathy and companionship the ignoble and the 
ignorant. It could never be said of him, ' This man 
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.' Socrates, 
in his patience under injuries, his voluntary poverty, 
his inflexible justice, and obedience to the laws, ap- 
proaches nearer than any other Grecian sage to our 
great Exemplar. And yet the example which he has 
given to the world, fighting sword in hand at Potidrea 



240 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



and Delium, if followed, would never cause wars and 
the rumors of wars to cease from under heaven. 
And in discussing the question now before us, i How 
can we cany on this war more vigorously ?' I would 
say that our failure hitherto in this contest has been 
because we have failed to enforce our precepts by the 
holiness of our lives. "We may chant the most sublime 
anthems, we may repeat the most devout litanies, we 
may utter the most powerful persuasions to virtue, 
yet, if our words are not enforced by example, they 
will all be as ' sounding brass.' "Who ever knew a 
citadel to surrender, bombarded with blank-car- 
tridges? And who of us can expect the City of Sin 
to surrender, when assailed by words only ? In vain 
do we call upon men to ' renounce the devil and all 
his works,' while our bodies are covered and our 
houses are filled with the ' pomps and vanities of the 
world.' In vain do we call upon men to love their 
enemies, while our own hearts are boiling over with 
malice toward members of the household of faith. 
And, that we may have a more perfect understanding 
of this matter, let us contemplate the power of ex- 
ample, as exhibited in the sacrifices men have made 
for their liberties, their principles, and their religion. 

" In contemplating the first, how do the rugged 
rocks of Thermopylae rise up before the mind's eye ? 
Those rocks stand as memorial altars, on which three 
hundred martyrs to liberty were immolated, and by 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



241 



which succeeding generations have sworn eternal en- 
mity to tyranny. That heart must be dead indeed 
that does not beat warmer at the mention of Mara- 
thon, Leuctra, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga. The name 
of Tell will never cease to be the banner-cry of 
Switzerland until the fires of the judgment shall melt 
down her eternal glaciers. The names of Wallace 
and Bruce shall be echoed among the Highlands of 
Scotland until the mountains shall melt like wax at 
the presence of the Lord. That man is undeserving 
the name of patriot who would not say, 'Let my 
tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth 5 if I forget 
Salamis, Mantinea, Saragossa, and Yorktown. i Let 
my right hand forget her cunning' if I prefer not 
above my chief joy the memories of Leonidas, Regu- 
lus, Bayard, Sydney, and Washington : men who 
have not only put their lives in jeopardy for the 
salvation of their country, but set an example to all 
coming time, which, if faithfully followed, would 
soon rid the world of its monster tyrants, and erect, 
on every hill top, altars flaming with the incense of 
freedom. 

" I know the young and thoughtless turn from the 

steady light of such examples, and are caught by the 

tinsel and glare which gather around the exploits 

of the Hannibals and Napoleons, who have scattered 

in their train war, pestilence, and famine. The child, 

standing on a lofty promontory, will admire the cor- 

16 



242 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



ruscations which flash athwart the sky from the ex- 
plosion of a magazine of gunpowder, never thinking 
of the bodies it has torn and mangled ; but the man 
will admire the heroism of the surgeon who toils in- 
cessantly to bind up bleeding wounds, and to ampu- 
tate the arms and legs which have been shattered by 
the explosion. But who is entitled to our admira- 
tion? the incendiary who fires the city at the midnight 
hour, or the watchman who rushes in amid flame and 
smoke, and rescues the babe sleeping in its cradle ? 
And what were Xerxes and Alexander but incendi- 
aries who have set continents on fire ? Their names 
are luminous, but it is the glare caused by the confla- 
gration of a thousand cities ; their bodies were once 
clad in crimson vestments, but they had been dipped 
in a dye drawn from human veins. This admiring 
men, because they have been terrible in destruction, 
is similar to the blind adoration of the barbarian, who 
builds temples to the earthquake and the volcano. 
Even to this day the Hindoo erects temples to murder 
and the small-pox. Men do not consecrate lofty 
structures to the rainbow until they have shaken off 
the chains of superstition, and made considerable ad- 
vancement in intelligence. The vulgar horde cherish 
the memory of the plunderer of cities, regardless of 
the unostentatious deed of the peace-making patriot ; 
but in this they resemble those who worship the 
crocodile and the monsters of the deep, instead of the 



THE CITY OF SIN* 



248 



dew and the rain. The character of Washington, in 
its harmony and perfection, resembles the dew and 
the rain, while Napoleon looms up before us as a 
storm-king, making the whirlwind his chariot, and 
pestilence and famine his winged steeds. Those 
who bow down before the terrible majesty of the 
'man of destiny, 5 are like those who worship the 
tornado, which overturns their habitations, unmind- 
ful of the vernal zephyr that fans their brows with its 
odor-laden wings. The savage reveres the thunder 
and lightning, unmindful of the light and warmth so 
essential to his existence ; and yet the light which 
chases away the darkness, and the heat which rends 
asunder the chains of frost, are more powerful than 
the fires of Jove ; and thus the light and heat which 
have gone out from the noble example of Washington 
will be found, as the world grows wiser, to be more 
powerful than all the thunderbolts of war which have 
flamed over the earth. 

" And now I come to contemplate the power of 
example as exhibited in the sacrifices men have 
made for their principles ; and although the fame of 
the former may be more world-wide, it is none the 
less important that we should be well instructed in 
the latter. If we should cherish love for our coun- 
try, how much more for our principles. The first is 
temporal, the last are eternal ; the first is of the earth, 
earthy ; the last are emanations from heaven. The 



244 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



hills and valleys on which our eyes first gazed in 
childhood are bound by a thousand bands to our 
hearts : but the principles of justice, mercy, and 
truth should be bound to our hearts by indissoluble 
ties. 

" The principle of justice had found so firm a lodg- 
ment in the soul of Aristicles, that no shock of adver- 
sity, no love of country or kindred, no tongue of 
flattery, could drive it from its intrenchments. 
Adopting justice as his guiding star, he followed its 
holy light into banishment; and as he goes into exile, 
wrapped about with the mantle of justice, he towers 
above kings and potentates, robed in ermine and 
cloth of gold, as the sun towers above the marshes 
and swamps of earth. Neither should it be forgotten 
that 'Aristides the Just' was born a pagan, reared 
under the vicious example of his venal countrymen, 
and taught to worship for gods monsters in impurity 
and cruelty. How must his example put to the blush 
the venal judge, the place-seeking courtier, and that 
minister of God who leaves his flock, allured by 
greener pastures and stiller waters ! And here I 
would ask, "Would it not be well for Christian govern- 
ments, w^ho erect monuments to men whose charac- 
ters, while living, were stained with vices and crimes 
of every hue, to place on the steps of their proud 
capitols a statue of Aristides, so that those who as- 
cend to the halls of justice may be taught to wipe 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



245 



out from their souls the stains of venality? Turning 
to the annals of Rome, we read of Fabricius, who dis- 
covered to Pyrrhus the perfidious offers of his physi- 
cian, who pledged himself to the Roman general for 
a sum of money to poison his royal master; well 
might he therefore exclaim, 6 It would be easier to 
turn the sun from his course than Fabricius from 
honesty. 5 

"We also read of Oamillus, who, when besieging 
Falisci, and seeing the sons of the most worthy 
citizens led into his camp by their schoolmaster, com- 
manded his hands to be bound and a rod to be given 
to each of the boys, with orders to whip their master 
back into the city, and to say to their parents, 6 The 
Romans are accustomed to conquer by the sword, 
and not by dishonesty.' We also read of Regulus, 
who, being taken prisoner by the Carthaginians, was 
sent to Rome, with the promise that he would either 
persuade the Romans to make peace, or return him- 
self into their hands ; but when arrived in Rome, he 
persuaded his countrymen to carry on the war, though 
the making of peace would have saved him from a 
cruel death ; and bidding his weeping kindred fare- 
well, he returns to die by the hand of his enemies. 

" And what shall I say more of Rutilius, Gracchus, 
and Metellus, of Cato, Cicero, and Seneca, of Roland 
and Lafayette, of Sidney, Hampden, and Russell, who, 
rather than part with their principles and stain their 



246 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



souls with injustice and cruelty, wandered in banish- 
ment in deserts and mountains. Many were shut up 
for long and wearisome years in dungeons; 'others 
were tortured, not accepting deliverance.' And it 
should not be forgotten, that many of these men 
were born in lands on which the light of revelation 
had never dawned, and in which human sacrifices 
were not abolished; for the Romans believed, when 
engaged in any dangerous war, that to bury alive in 
the midst of Rome an individual of the adverse 
nation, was a powerful charm to secure victory, 
which practice was not entirely done away with until 
long after the first preaching of Christianity. 

"In contemplating the power of example, as ex- 
hibited in the sacrifices men have made for their 
religion, we are reminded of Joseph, who descended 
into the prison rather than part with the mantle of 
chastity and sin against God ; of Moses, who esteemed 
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the pleasures 
of Egypt ; of David, who restrained his hand from slay- 
ing his murderous foe when he found him sleeping 
in the cave of Engedi ; of Balaam, who would not go 
beyond the commandment of the Lord if Balak 
should give him his house full of silver and gold ; of 
Zechariah, who was slain between the porch and the 
altar, for daring to reprove Joash for his idolatry. I 
would also speak of those apostles and confessors who 
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, who were 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



247 



ready to be regarded as the filth and offscouring of 
the world ; who ' counted all things as loss for the ex- 
cellence of the knowledge of Christ; 5 who braved 
dangers the most appalling; who encountered hard- 
ships which would have caused the stoutest hearts to 
quail ; who suffered as men never have suffered ; who 
triumphed as men never have triumphed. The 
frenzy of the rabble, the frowns of the Sanhedrim, the 
iron-knit brow of power, were unto them as Eavonian 
breezes. The harsh gratings of the rack told them 
they would soon pass to a land where they would hear 
the bells of Paradise ringing ; the flames of the stake 
were only wreathing for them a chaplet of immortal- 
ity ; the cup of poison presented to their lips by the 
hand of persecution, was sweeter than the nectar- 
flowing chalice. Were they thrust into the inner 
prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks ? even at 
the midnight hour they prayed and sang praises to 
God. Were they borne away to c thrilling regions of 
thick-ribbed ice?' they soon caused Mayflowers to 
bloom around them. Exiled to a vast howling wil- 
derness, they soon caused the lion to lie down with 
the lamb ; banished to some vast Sahara, they soon 
clothed the desert sands with the freshness and 
verdure of Eden. Did a night of tempest and black- 
ness gather around them, neither sun nor stars 
appearing, then a light shining in a dark place 
flamed around them ; did kings frown, they prayed 



248 



THE CITY OF 



for them ; did cynics sneer, they answered in 
accents of kindness ; did persecution lift its rod, they 
blessed and cursed not ; did the foot of power tram- 
ple upon them, they shed over their oppressors the 
dew of forgiveness ; did the flame kindle upon them, 
their enemies soon found that their faith and virtue 
were not hay and stubble, but diamond dust, which 
no fires can consume ; did the prince of darkness plot 
their ruin, they baffled his spells with the wisdom of 
the serpent ; did foes assail, they fought with the 
energies of hope and not of despair, even the king of 
terrors shook and trembled at their approach, for he 
saw the hand-writing on the wall announcing the 
death of death. 

K The champions of the cross furnish us an exam- 
ple of suffering and patience unparalleled in the an- 
nals of our race. Suffering the pangs of hunger, they 
broke to men the bread of life ; stung with poverty, 
they poured along their pathway the affluence of the 
skies ; cold and naked, they proffered unto men the 
livery of heaven, more gorgeous than the starry robe 
of night ; strangers and pilgrims, they gave unto men 
title-deeds to au inheritance incorruptible and unde- 
fined ; chained and manacled, they proclaimed liberty 
unto the captives, and the opening of the prison to 
them that are bound ; ignorant of letters, they spoke 
in every dialect of the babbling earth ; having neither 
sw T ord nor scrip, they broke the power of the Ceesars, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



249 



and wrenched the scepter from the hand of Jove ; com- 
manded to speak no more in the name of Jesus, they 
struck dumb pagan oracles, and put to silence the 
gainsay ers. If Napoleon furnishes us with an example 
of heroism, standing knee deep in mud and snow 
storming a Russian battery, how much more heroic 
do these men appear who stormed the batteries of sin 
and hell, in stripes and imprisonments, in cold and 
nakedness, charging right on through fagots and 
flames. He periled his life that he might exalt him- 
self to the loftiest pinnacle of fame ; they put their 
lives in jeopardy, that they might exalt the vile and 
the outcast to thrones of light and love. He was fol- 
lowed, in his transit from kingdom to kingdom, by 
the wail of the orphan ; they, having revealed unto a 
fatherless world the God and Father of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, took their transit from mundane shores, fol- 
lowed by the incense of a grateful world ; he clothed 
the nations of the earth in sackcloth; they, 6 lifting up 
the vail of covering cast over all people,' robed them 
in the garments of salvation. 

"In the first we have an example of selfishness, 
which, if followed, would soon transform our world 
into a Pandemonium ; in the last we have an exam- 
ple of love, which, if faithfully copied, would soon 
transform our world into a paradise. 

"Many wonder why so little good results from 
their labors, for their words are words of truth and 



250 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



soberness ; but, alas ! their lives are one continued 
round of vanity and ostentation. They command 
men to feed the hungry, but are their days and nights 
consecrated to the relief of the suffering i They call 
upon men to forsake houses and lands, but can they 
say with their Master: 'The foxes have holes, and 
the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man 
hath not where to lay his head V They command 
others to ' condescend to men of low estate,' but do 
they ever eat with publicans and sinners ? They en- 
join self-denial, but do they ever wear a seamless 
coat ? Such men should remember, that it was not 
by the eloquence of words, but by the power of ex- 
ample, that the Macedonian conquered the world. It 
was this that enabled Caesar to triumph at Pharsalia, 
gave the iron crown to Charlemagne, and placed the 
laurel on the brow of Marlborough at Blenheim. It 
was this that carried the standards of France across 
the bridge of Lodi, rolled back the tide of victory at 
Wagram, and broke the power of the banded armies 
of Europe. It was this that rendered the Ironsides 
of Cromwell invincible, gave victory to Wolfe on the 
plains of Abraham, and wrought wonders at Trenton 
and Monmouth. It was this that gave success to the 
efforts of Luther and Latimer, and opened the hearts 
of the hardened and obdurate to receive the burning 
words of "Wesley and Whitefield. May I not there- 
fore ask, Can we hope to see the strongholds of sin 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



251 



overturned, and every vestige swept away from the 
earth, while our words are contradicted by the exam- 
ple of our lives ? Can men dam up the waters of 
Niagara with bulrushes ? And can we hope to dam 
up the rivers of intemperance, licentiousness, and 
infidelity with words only ? "When bishops and arch- 
bishops lay aside their miters, and go out into the 
thronged streets, and throw up their prayers and en- 
treaties between sinners and 'everlasting damnation;' 
when our mothers in Israel spend as many hours in 
their closets as they do at their toilets, praying, with 
strong crying and tears, that the God of battles will 
cause victory to flash along our ranks ; when those who 
urge men on to heaven are seen fighting manfully in 
the van, and not lingering in the rear, then, and not 
till then, will this ' war be carried on more vigorously.' 

" Napoleon more than once saved his army from 
defeat, and his empire from ruin, by placing himself 
between his wavering lines and the fires of the 
Austrian cannon. Thus Washington saved his troops 
from a total rout at Harlem Heights, by placing 
himself between them and the 6 iron rain ' of the ad- 
vancing enemy. 

" May grace and courage be poured in our hearts, 
that we may march up boldly in the very front of the 
battle, regardless of the masked batteries of infidelity, 
and the grapeshot of papal Rome, so that when dying 
we may fall with our armor on, the banner of Calvary 



252 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



waving over us, and the paean of victory on our 
lips!' 5 

At the conclusion of Mr. Valiant's address, Mr. 
Dignity rose, as he said, " to define his position." 

i% Mr. Chairman : One would imagine, from what 
we have just heard, that this city is to be overthrown 
by an arm of flesh : that we, worms of the dust, 
are able to crumble its massy walls, and break down 
its impregnable towers. To such men I would say, 
as did Antigonos. when about to engage in a sea-fight 
near the Isle of Andros : somebody observed to 
him, that the enemy's fleet was much larger than his. 
1 For how many ships, then, dost thou reckon me V 
And I would ask, For how many ships dost thou 
reckon the Captain of salvation ] Can he not, with 
one tramp of his foot, grind them to powder ? Does 
he not hold a more potent trident than JEolus ? Can- 
not He ; who breakest the ships of Tarshish with an 
east wind, 3 send forth upon our foes the whirlwinds 
of his fury ] Our great work is to throw up in- 
trenchments and strengthen onr outposts, to count our 
bulwarks and secure our gates, and then to keep 
within our inclosures ; for our security mainly de- 
pends on our keeping within the citadel. The law of 
nature plainly declares, that self-preservation should 
be our first concern ; we are not to starve our own 
souls while ministering to the wants of others ; I am 
not required to take the coat from my back, or the 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



253 



bread from my mouth, according to this first law of 
my being. The world has ever been full of paupers, 
shame and want will ever attend upon the shiftless 
and improvident. If the prodigal squanders his 
estate, and the libertine ruins his health by excess, I 
cannot see that we are accountable for their misdeeds, 
or that they are entitled to our sympathies. Our 
great work should be to worship God, and in order 
that we may do this befitting his majesty, we must 
rear up temples worthy of his name. Every church 
should be modeled after the temple of Solomon, for 
that was built under the direct supervision of the 
King of heaven, and when finished he honored it 
with his presence, and filled it with his glory. 
Hence every Church should have an apostolic minis- 
try ; and I am free to declare that I have a greater 
sympathy for Rome than for Dissent, for the first is 
bound together by a three-fold cord of bishops, 
priests, and deacons, while the last is held together by 
a rope of sand." 

In reply to Mr. Dignity's remarks, Mr. Valiant said : 
"Mr. Chairman: I did not intend to engross so 
much of the time and attention of this council, but the 
words to which we have just listened have not only 
made my ears to tingle, but they have tingled every 
fiber and cuticle of my body. We have been given 
to understand that it is not by an arm of flesh, but by 
the hand of Omnipotence, that our foes are to be van- 



254 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



quisled ; but I would ask if the King of heaven ever 
wrought deliverance for his people but by the use of 
instrumentalities. Doubtless he could have saved 
Xoah without an ark ; he could have led the Israel- 
ites through the wilderness without the pillar of 
cloud; he could have fed Elijah without the ravens, 
and taken him to heaven without a chariot of fire. 
In like manner God could illuminate the earth with- 
out the sun, and moisten it without the rain ; but in 
the empire of nature and of grace he always works by 
instrumentalities ; Joshua did not say, ; The God of 
Israel can, with one tramp of his foot, grind our ene- 
mies to powder ; therefore let us sheath our swords, 
and seek repose in our tents.' 

" You tell us that our great work is to throw up 
intrenchments, and to strengthen our outposts : but I 
would ask, if the promise is about to fail : 1 Upon this 
rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it V Are our defenses so 
weak and insecure that we must watch with trembling 
anxiety every attack of our foes ? Are the cords of 
our tents threads of gossamer, are our outposts set up on 
the sand, that we should fear to leave our inclosures ? 
Does not the angel of the Lord encamp round about 
us ? Are not our walls salvation and our gates praise ? 

u Again, you tell us that ' our security mainly 
depends upon our keeping within the citadel. 7 And 
has the armor of light become so rust-eaten that it 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



255 



can no longer protect those who gird it on? Did 
spear or cimeter ever pierce the breastplate of right- 
eousness?' Did the shield of faith ever fail to 
quench the fiery darts of the wicked ? Was the sword 
of the Spirit ever broken in the hand of him who 
wielded it valiantly? Are our gun-boats so rotten 
and leaky that it is dangerous to put to sea in them, 
to give chase to the pirates of darkness? Are the 
masked batteries of damnation any more terrible now 
than when stormed by martyrs and confessors ? I am 
free to say on this floor, that I never feel safe, only 
when traveling in the path of duty. Walking in 
that road, I find the scorpions all stingless, the 
serpents all fangless, the lions all toothless ; their hiss 
and roar only reveal the impotence of their rage. 
Even the lightnings which play above my head, 
instead of being followed with bolts of wrath, render 
my pathway more bright and luminous. 

" You tell us that we are not to starve our own 
souls while ministering to the wants of others. And 
have you forgotten, sir, the promise, ' He that water- 
eth shall be watered? 5 Did you ever bind up a 
wounded heart, and not have your own woes assuaged ? 
Did you ever give a cup of cold water to one, in the 
name of a disciple, and not have a brimming goblet, 
sparkling with the waters of life, pressed to your own 
lips ? Did you ever 6 deal your bread to the hungry, 5 
without being invited to a banqueting table loaded 



256 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



with celestial fruits? Did you ever enter a hovel of 
poverty, without breathing 'air fresh from heaven?' 
Have you ever thrown the shield of protection round 
the orphan, and not felt the arms of the Father Al- 
mighty underneath you? Have you ever knelt by 
the bedside of the dying, and not rose up singing, in 
a more exultant strain, i O death, where is thy sting ?' 
"While you have poured around you the streams of 
beneficence, have not streams of light and of love 
been poured into your heart ? Go forth, therefore, 
and open your mouth for the dumb, and your lips 
will be touched and hallowed by a live coal from the 
altar of heaven. The tears you mingle with the sor- 
rowing shall shine as crystal drops in the web and 
woof of your coronation robes, when seated at the 
< marriage supper of the Lamb.' The fires you kindle 
in the cold huts of penury will shed around you a 
warmth and a fragrance richer than the 'spicy 
groves of Arabia in a flame.' 

" 6 The shiftless and improvident are not entitled to 
our sympathies.' But let me ask what our rebel 
world had done to entitle it to the sympathies of 
heaven, when the Son of God left the realms of light, 
and linked himself to humanity, that he might wash 
out the stains of our guilt in his most precious blood ? 
"What had the Israelites done to entitle them to 
sympathy? They murmured and rebelled, they 
stoned the prophets and the holy men that were sent 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



257 



unto them ; and yet the Father of lights, instead of 
pouring over them the fires of Sinai, shed around 
them the effulgence of the cross. Omnipotent love 
traveled over barriers of crime and ingratitude, high 
as heaven and deep as hell, to bathe the ulcered 
heart of humanity with the dews of Hermon ; and 
shall we not travel over mountains of indifference, to 
gather up in our arms those who have 6 spent their 
substance in riotous living?' To those who have no 
heart to labor but among the polished and refined, I 
would say, Remember that it was said unto the super- 
cilious Pharisees, ' The publicans and harlots go into 
the kingdom of God before you. 5 

"You inform us that 'our great work should be to 
worship God; and in order that we may do this be- 
fitting his majesty, we must rear up temples worthy 
of his name. 5 But I would ask if brick or stone 
walls are absolutely requisite to worship God accept- 
ably. Did not Jesus say to the woman of Samaria, 
'The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this 
mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father?' 
6 God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth. 5 Cannot the sailor- 
boy on the yard-arm, listening to the murmur of the 
waves, raise an anthem as acceptable in the ear of 
Heaven, as though he stood in a lofty cathedral, and 
joined in the cadence and swell of the pealing organ? 
Cannot the pioneer in the wilderness, kneeling on the 

17 



258 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



bosom of his mother earth, canopied with interlacing 
forest trees, worship God as acceptably as though he 
bowed in a temple floored with marble and roofed 
with gold ? If fluted columns and frescoed walls are 
necessary in order that men may worship God accept- 
ably, then the multitudes that go down to the sea 
in ships are in a deplorable condition. If groined 
arches and pealing organs are requisite to heighten 
devotion, then how insipid and jejune must have been 
the devotions of those worthies who, clad in sheep 
skins and goat skins, wandered in deserts, and in 
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 

"You would have every church modeled after the 
temple of Solomon, for that was built under the direct 
supervision of the King of heaven, and was honored 
with his presence and filled with his glory. But I 
would ask if that 6 upper room' was not honored with 
his presence, when ' there came a sound from heaven 
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the 
house where they were sitting. And there appeared 
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat 
upon each of them.' Was there ever such a mani- 
festation of power and glory, as when the disciples 
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to 
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance ? Following your own mode of reasoning, 
I would say, that every church should be modeled 
after that ' upper room,' for it was more signally 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



259 



honored with the presence of God than was ever the 
temple of Solomon. But the argument is weak and 
invalid in either case ; and I would suggest to those 
who rear up gorgeous churches for themselves, and 
meager chapels for the poor, to remember that if 
stained windows and filagreed altar-cloths are neces- 
sary to heighten their devotions, they are equally 
necessary for the poor; for the fountains of knowl- 
edge were never broken up in their hearts, and their 
sensibilities are benumbed by their dayly contact 
with the hardened and obdurate. 

" Finally, you inform us that you have a greater 
sympathy for Rome than for Dissent ! Now, if I were 
about to go to sea for the purpose of visiting a foreign 
port, and I should find two ships ready to sail, one a 
three-masted and the other a one-masted vessel, I 
should doubtless prefer the three-masted ship, being 
safer and more perfect. But if, on examination, I 
found the masts all rotten, and her hold filled with 
bilge-water, and, also, that they had the small-pox, 
the cholera, and the yellow fever on board, I think I 
should take to the one-masted ship; especially if I 
found on board the three-masted vessel the chains 
and engines with which my ancestors had been tor- 
tured for a thousand years, and her decks and scup- 
pers red with their blood. 

" Granting that there were three orders in the min- 
istry in the primitive Church, it should not be forgot- 



260 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



ten that the bishops, priests, and deacons of Rome 
did not prevent the Church from lapsing into idola- 
try and formalism. Errors the most deadly grew up 
under the very shadow of the hierarchy ; heresiarchs 
overtopped, or rather overturned, thrones and princi- 
palities ; schism was rampant, thorns choked the word, 
kingdoms were rent in twain, and whole provinces 
were depopulated. The waves of error and venality 
rolled on unchecked by this three-fold cord, sweeping 
away even metropolitan thrones. Keither should we 
forget that Romish bishops, priests, and deacons 
guarded the sheep-fold when the jSTovatians, Sabel- 
ians, Manicheans, and Pelagians broke into its inci- 
sures. They stood as sentinels when Arianism, auric- 
ular confession, transubstantiation, purgatory, and the 
sale of indulgences crept into the Church. Under 
their fostering care Torquemada dug the cells of the 
Inquisition, and Loyola corrupted the fountains of 
casuistry and morals. They looked on at the burn- 
ing of John Huss, and smiled approval when the 
tragedy of St. Bartholomew's eve was enacted. They 
baptized the valleys of Piedmont, and kindled the 
fires of Smithfield. They dug a grave for the Bible, 
and tolled the knell of freedom. They canonized the 
dead, and excommunicated the living. If the Sun of 
righteousness has been somewhat obscured by Dis- 
sent, it has been totally eclipsed by Rome. If the 
truth has been distorted by the one, by the other it 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



261 



has been smothered in the mummy wrappings of a 
dead language. If one has tanned and freckled the 
fair face of the Church, the other has covered its body 
with ulcers and putrefying sores. 

"You have a sympathy for Rome because of its 
unity and concord ! Is Rome united in one body ? so 
are the waters of the Dead Sea ; but they are none 
the less putrescent on that account. Dissent may be 
divided and broken into fragments, but, like the lakes 
of the American Continent, or the innumerable 
springs which well up at the base of its mountains, 
the waters are none the less pure and wholesome. 
Rome united! so is 'devil with devil damned;' so 
are pirates and robbers, but I have no sympathy for 
them on that account. Sympathy for Rome because 
of its unity ! I would as soon think of having sym- 
pathy for that huge pile of serpents described by 
Humbodlt, their bodies twisted and intertwined with- 
in the center, while their crested heads and forked 
tongues presented a united and formidable front. 
And now, sir, if you have a greater sympathy 
for Rome, I hope you will go over to the enemy at 
once, and not remain a treacherous foe within the 
camp. For my part, I shall for the present with- 
draw from this council, as we are commanded: 
'Come out from among them, and be ye separate.'" 

At this a cry arose, "Every man to his tent, O 
Israel!" and so ended this war council. 



BOOK V. 



A CONSTERNATION MEETING WITHIN 
THE CITY. 



BOOK V. 



A CONSTERNATION MEETING HELD — ADDEESSES BY MESSRS. SLY, 
SNARE, TWO-EYES, GET, HYPOCRITE, COME-TO-HIMSELF, STUBBORN, 
WINK-AT-SIN, AND SMOOTH-THE-WAY — ADDRESS BY THE LORD 

KEEPER OF THE TOWER OF POPERY THE LORD KEEPER OF THE 

TOWER OF IDOLATRY ALSO BY THE LORD KEEPER OF THE 

TOWER OF INFIDELITY — ADDRESSES BY THE MASTER OF THE 
ROYAL MINT — MR. VANITY, OF THE COURT OF FASHION — THE 

MASTER OF THE ARMORY, AND MR. GLIMMER THE ARMY OF 

IMMANUEL STORMS THE CITY — MR. EYE-TO-EYE IS SENT BY 
THE PRINCE TO ENCOURAGE THE SOLDIERS, AND CONGRATU- 
LATE THEM ON THE SUCCESS OF THE ASSAULT. 

The issue of the council was the source of great 
joy to the City of Sin. In council assembled they 
voted a statue to Mr. Dignity, and also conferred on 
him the freedom of the city. Old Mr. Carnal-se- 
curity was ordered to furnish him a cradle, with a 
pendulum attachment, together with sundry ano- 
dynes and opiates necessary to keep him in his 
present somniferous state. 

That night the city was illuminated, bonfires 
were kindled, and the bells were rung for joy. 
Many thought the war was over. Some talked 
about a house divided against itself. The next day 
the Merchants' Exchange was crowded; stocks rose 



266 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



enormously. Some talked of offering Mr. Dignity 
a public banquet. Penny-a-liners wrote and pub- 
lished his life, together with the life and times 
of Mr. Halt-by-the-way. Likenesses of the Halt 
family were displayed in the shop windows. The 
Court of Honor voted to adorn the walls of the 
Capitol with a full-sized portrait of Mr. Dignity. 

But this joy was short-lived, for it was soon 
announced that the camp of the besiegers was full 
of life and animation. The soldiers were constantly 
on duty ; the largest guns had been brought out 
and mounted ; a new corps of sappers and miners 
had been organized, and set to work under the 
most skillful engineers; it was also rumored that 
they were about to make a grand assault upon 
the towers. A meeting of the citizens was imme- 
diately called, to devise plans of defense and to 
appoint vigilance committees. Some proposed send- 
ing an agent into the camp with an abundance 
of gold, to buy up, if possible, the leaders. Others 
counseled the use of chloroform, as many of their 
citizens had found it of great use in stealing and 
robbing. Mr. Sly proposed offering to the chief 
men of the enemy the highest offices in the city. 
He thought Captain Run-never was peculiarly fitted 
for the office of Lord Keeper of the Tower of Ignor- 
ance, and that Mr. Valiant was admirably qualified 
for the office of Commissioner of Streets and Lamps. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



267 



Mr. Snare proposed opening the gates of the 
city to the besiegers. "Let them," said he, "come 
in and live with us, and see how long they will 
retain their sanctity. Let them take up their abode 
in Love-money, and escape, if they can, the leprosy 
of avarice; let them live under the shadow of 
our theaters and brothels, and escape, if they are 
able, those moral whirlpools. Let them but get 
a glimpse of the Court of Fashion, and how soon 
will they be running themselves out of breath to 
catch its smiles. Let the Captain Run-nevers be 
domiciled for a few months in Man-worship, and 
how soon would they be bowing in worship of an 
echo. Let them come and rear up temples in our 
midst, and, my word for it, the structures they rear 
will be more gaudy and finical than our theaters, 
and our opera singers will soon be employed in their 
organ-lofts to hymn the praises of their God. Let 
them come and abide with us, and their warmth 
and zeal will soon be congealed; orange groves do 
not bud and blossom in the frigid zone, neither 
will the rose of Sharon take root and grow in the 
frosty air of this city. The river of salvation they 
are rolling through the world will be frozen up 
the moment it enters our gates. Their lamps of 
truth can no more burn in our midst, than candles 
let down into wells filled with poisoned air. There- 
fore, I say, let them come among us, and under 



268 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the enervating influence of our city they will fall, 
as did the soldiers of Hannibal after indulging in 
the luxuries of Capua. They will doubtless find, 
when they come among us, that we possess a spell 
more potent than that of Circe for changing men 
into swine, saints into sinners; for our Delilahs 
lapping the heads of these moral Samsons, we will 
bind them hand and foot, and putting out their 
eyes, we will cause them to grind in our prison- 
houses." 

On the other hand, Mr. Two-eyes thought it would 
be a dangerous experiment : " No doubt," said he, 
" many will fall victims to our seductive charms ; 
but we should remember that some men are like 
deaf adders, who will not listen to the voice of the 
charmer, charm he ever so wisely. We spring traps 
for foxes, and spread nets for birds, but there are 
some so old and wary that they cannot be taken. 
By opening our gates many would fall into our trap ; 
but let us remember that Lot retained his sanctity 
even in Sodom, and Joseph resisted the allurements 
of Potiphar's wife. The frosty air of our city would 
put out the fire of zeal in many hearts ; but the fire 
5s so deep down in the hearts of some men, that no 
waters can extinguish it ; like volcanic fires in Ice- 
land, which burn on, age after age, though covered 
with ice and snow. It is very true that orange groves 
do not bloom in the Arctic ; but the trees of right- 



THE CITY OP SIN. 269 



eousness planted by the Moravians in Greenland, 
retained their verdure amid the rigors of a polar 
winter. And as to freezing up their wells of salva- 
tion, and extinguishing their lamps, let us remember 
that thermal springs can never be frozen over ; and, 
although the stars may be obscured by mists and 
fogs, the poisoned air and reeking corruptions of 
earth can never dim their radiance. Granting we 
possess the magic charm of Circe, let us fear lest a 
Ulysses be found able to baffle our spells ; and even 
if we are able to put out the eyes of these moral 
Samsons, let us beware lest, feeling for the pillars of 
this huge fabric of our greatness, they bury us and 
our children in the mighty ruin. 

" And now let me foretell the result of giving our 
enemies free quarters in our city. Should they, for 
instance, take up their abode in the Tower of Igno- 
rance, they will soon transform it into a tower of 
light and knowledge; and, making it the base of 
their future operations, they will issue forth, and 
overturn every tower on the walls. Our theaters will 
soon be transformed into temples, where shall be 
heard hosannas to the Son of David. The tables of 
the money-changers will be overturned in Love- 
money ; the grass will grow in Man-worship ; Cruelty 
Lane will soon be filled with houses of mercy, hospitals 
for the sick, and asylums for the blind ; the filth and 
dirt which have been accumulating for ages in our 



270 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



streets, will be swept away ; the lash-resounding dens 
of tyranny will become solitary ; the sobs and moans 
of the down-trodden will be changed into glad hal- 
leluiahs; men will abandon the fountains of death 
for the waters of life ; the lamps of error will go out 
unreplenished, for the gleam of their banners will 
chase away the gross darkness which now covers 
us." 

Mr. Get regarded these dismal forebodings as the 
dreams of a moon-struck prophet. " Let us throw 
wide open our gates ; let us bid them welcome. Let 
them come, and marry, and settle among us. They 
are renowned for being a frugal, thrifty race, and 
doubtless they will augment our wealth amazingly, 
and also increase our respectability, and enable us to 
take a high stand among the nations of the earth." 

Mr. Hypocrite said he had thought of a plan which 
he hoped would be acceptable to all. " Let us," 
said he, " adopt the garb and uniform of our enemies, 
and hang out flags starred and striped like the 
banners which float so proudly from their pavilions : 
by so doing we shall dwell securely ; and our bills of 
credit being readily accepted, we can go on trading 
with the nations of the earth, until, having hoarded 
vast treasures, we can throw off the mask, and bid 
defiance to the world." 

Mr. Come-to-himself said he was astonished to hear 
gentlemen talk thus. "Does not every man here 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



271 



know that we are doomed either to yield or die? 
Have we not suffered the horrors of famine for many 
years ? Is there a man here who has filled his belly 
with anything but husks this many a day ? A great 
proportion of our fighting men are on the sick-list. 
There is not a man here, however shiny may be his 
coat, but has a deadly leprosy spreading over his 
body. Even Mr. Get, who talks so valorously, has a 
running sore in his side, which will soon terminate 
his career ; all his ancestors have died with the same 
disease. Whole squares of our city have been de- 
populated by the plague. Think, for one moment, 
how many die dayly in Backbiter's Row, with the 
black tongue. Every other man you meet in Love- 
money has a cancer in his heart, eating out the life 
of love, the life of hope, and the life of joy. Look at 
the multitudes in the streets of Envy and Jealousy, 
however arrayed in purple and fine linen, they each 
carry a viper in their bosoms, which they know will 
eventually sting them to death. More than ten 
thousand die every week in the Tower of Ignorance, 
for the want of vital air ; the ventilation of a slave- 
ship is nothing to be compared with it. Again, I 
cannot sleep of nights for the groans of the prisoners 
in the dungeons underneath the Tower of Popery, 
together with the creaking of their horrid engines of 
torture, breaking the bones of their victims. Of the 
Tower of Intemperance it may be said, that the cry 



272 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



from the dead-cart is every hour, and every moment, 
5 Bring out your dead ! Bring out your dead !' From 
its iron gateway, ; hearse follows hearse, and coffin 
rumbles after coffin.* And let us also remember that 
the blood of the French Revolution is not yet dry on 
the walls of the Tower of Infidelity. X either should 
we forget that we have not only famine, and the 
pestilence that walketh in darkness, in our midst, but 
that we are liable, every night of our lives, to be 
burned up by those old incendiaries, Mr. Lust-of-the- 
flesh and Mr. Lust-of-the-eye. 

" We are told that the river of salvation our ene- 
mies are rolling through the world will freeze up the 
moment it enters our gates ; but let me say that a 
little pounded ice would be more refreshing to my 
lips than the wormwood and gall I have been com- 
pelled to drink ever since I entered this city." 

Old Stubborn said he was decidedly opposed to 
the measure. " Let us," said he, " fight it out to the 
last. If we are to die, let us die like men. Let us 
imitate those heroes who have borne up against their 
foes, even with famine and pestilence in their midst. 
For my own part, I am determined to defend the 
walls while I can wield a pike, and if driven from the 
walls, I will fight from square to square, and from 
street to street, until, shutting myself up in the castle, 
I will howl out my defiance in the ears of the rebels. 
Let us for one moment contemplate the consequences 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



278 



of opening our gates to our enemies. In the first 
place, they will throw open the prison gates, and let 
loose from his cell old Mr. Conscience, whom we 
have kept bound so long. It has not passed from the 
memory of our elders, how he once lorded it over this 
city. "When I was a boy one could not go to a thea- 
ter, but he would whip him all the way home. One 
could not take a pack of cards into his hands, but he 
must needs be kicked and cuffed by him. The first 
time I went to spend the evening at the house of old 
Mr. Profanity, he gave me such a pinch that I shall 
carry the memory, if not the marks of it, to the day 
of my death. It seems as though I could hear the 
yell he gave me, when one day I was looking over 
a garden wall, with no intention of leaping over, 
although the sight of its apples and melons made my 
mouth water. I once heard my father say, whose 
bones lie bleaching around yon brandy fountain, that 
the first time he went down to drink thereat, old Mr. 
Conscience came very near pounding him to death ; 
he was not able to stir a foot out of his house for a 
twelvemonth. The snakes of Envy-street are terrible, 
but his scorpion lash is more terrible ; to be pinched 
by hunger and want is frightful, but the grip of his 
hand is more frightful. It fairly puts me into a tre- 
mor to think of letting him loose in our midst. I 
should never dare to look one of my fellow-men in 

the face again. It puts me to the blush to think of 

18 



274 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



it, a thing I have not done for many a day. If we 
should permit him to go at large for even a week, 
what a revolution would he effect? How many 
would be thrown out of employment, who now get 
their living by cheating and lying ? How many of 
our moth-eaten garments would he compel us to sur- 
render to the naked poor? How much of our ill- 
gotten wealth would he compel us to hand over to 
the laborers who have reaped down our fields ? How 
many slanderous lies would he force us to take back ? 
I, for one, would move out of the city ; for I should 
either have to listen to his roaring in my ears, or else 
be reduced to bankruptcy. Besides letting old Mr. 
Conscience loose, we should be compelled to knock 
off the chains from the limbs of Mr. Pity, Mr. Weep- 
for-those-who-weep, Mr. Open -the -mouth -for- the- 
dumb, Mr. Feet-for-the-lame, and Mr. Eyes-for-the- 
blind, together with all their kindred, and their name 
is legion." 

Old "Wink-at-sin was in favor of opening the gates 
to the besiegers, provided they tie the hands of the 
said Mr. Conscience behind his back, and put a gag 
in his mouth, so that he can neither pinch nor roar ; 
and provided, also, that every man, without let or 
hinderance, be permitted to follow his lawful calling, 
viz. : to cheat, lie, steal, slander, and commit all 
manner of uncleanness as he may list. And also pro- 
vided, that the corps of police, (composed entirely of 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



275 



the progeny of the said Wink-at-sin,) who now patrol 
our streets, crying day and night, "All is well ! there 
is no hell!" shall not be superseded by watchmen 
taken from their own ranks. "For it should not be 
forgotten," said he, " that we are indebted to these 
our sentinels for our security and peace of mind. 
The music of their voices, when singing at the mid- 
night hour, in full chorus, ' All is well ! there is no 
hell!' is sweeter to my ear than .iEolian harp or 
pealing organ. They smooth the pillow of the dying 
debauchee, and plant hopes in the wrinkled brow of 
crime. They foster courage in the breasts of our he- 
roes, and cry peace and safety, when the voice of the 
trumpet waxes louder and louder. Without their 
aid and encouragement who would dare to live, and 
who of us would dare to die ? Without their coun- 
tenance, who would dare to put the bottle to his 
neighbor's mouth, or oppress the hireling in his 
wages ? Without their lullaby, who could sleep of 
nights, after having been engaged all day in cheat- 
ing and lying ? I know not what others may think, 
but I am free to declare it as my firm conviction, 
that, without their aid, we should not be able to hold 
out another hour. Neither should we forget that our 
police force are ennobled by a renowned ancestry. 
Their primogenitor was present, and smiled approval 
at the laying of the foundations of our far-famed me- 
tropolis. Their escutcheon is more ancient than the 



276 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



armorial bearings of kings and potentates, as the 
motto thereon plainly shows : ' In the day thou eat- 
est thereof thou shalt not surely die.' "Words as 
cheering to our hearts as when first uttered six thou- 
sand years ago. Think, I beseech you, of our con- 
dition, provided our faithful sentinels were superseded 
by watchmen taken from the ranks of our enemies. 
How soon would they din in our ears, 4 Masters, give 
unto your servants that which is just and equal.' 
How soon would they be seen standing on the huge 
pile of bones, now moldering round the fountains of 
Eum, Gin, and Brandy, crying, s Woe to the drunk- 
ards of Ephraim ! The crown of pride, the drunkards 
of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet. 5 Now when 
one has tarried long at the wheel of the gambler, and 
looked ' upon the wine when it is red,' he is cheered 
at every corner by a luminous star, on which is writ- 
ten, in letters of gold, ' Thou shalt not surely die.' 
Then he would be compelled to hear at every step : 
1 The soul that sinneth, it shall die ;' • The way of 
the transgressor is hard.' " 

Mr. Smooth-the-way thought that concessions 
would be necessary on both sides. " There are 
many things," said he, " we must surrender, and 
there are many things they must give up before they 
can take up their line of march, and receive a hearty 
welcome in our midst. There is that old Book 
which they carry about with them, (the relic, in my 



THE CITY OF SIN, 



27T 



opinion, of a barbarous age ;) they must agree to leave 
it behind them ; for, as is well known, this book is 
so full of mysteries that many, in trying to solve 
them, have lost their reason. They tell us that it is 
the light of the world ; but many, in gazing on its efful- 
gence, have been smitten with blindness ; like men 
who look too long at the sun, they have been blinded 
by excess of light. I should regret exceedingly to 
see this book brought into our city, for we have as 
many crazy and shattered people now as we can well 
manage." He was not aware that the same objec- 
tion might be urged against having a sun in our 
heavens ; but the sun was not given us to be gazed 
at, but to be a light to our feet ; so the Bible, equally 
luminous, equally mysterious, was given as a lamp 
to our feet and a lantern to our path. 

The Lord Keeper of the Tower of Popery could 
see no objection to admitting the Book, provided they 
would surrender it to his keeping. For fear the people 
may be blinded or crazed by it," said he, " I will hide 
it away in some dark corner of my tower, and only let 
out a little light as the people are able to bear it. It 
is well known that many people have been killed by 
drinking too freely of cold water when heated; and as 
this book is said to be a fountain of living waters, I 
will build an iron wall round it, and give out a few 
spoonfuls at a time ; for as a starving man should not 
be permitted to sit down to a feast, but be fed with 



278 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



a few crumbs, so the starving multitudes around us 
should be fed with crumbs as I may see fit. [How- 
long should starving men be fed on crumbs ?] And 
you will understand that I am particularly interested 
in this subject, for I have a myriad host committed to 
my keeping, men of such stubborn wills, that if full 
fed they would become altogether unmanageable. 
As the lion, with an iron band round his neck, is ren- 
dered docile and pusillanimous, so bolts and bars are 
necessary to keep the multitude in subjection. The 
eagle caged is a tame and spiritless bird, in comparison 
to the eagle who has derived strength and nerve of 
wing by sweeping the free air of heaven. The 
minds of men must be caged in order that they may 
be rendered sufficiently imbecile to submit to 
authority. jSTow this book is a wonderful instrument 
for opening prison gates, and uncaging the intellects 
of men. Give this book to the people, and my 
power and glory would soon tumble into dust. 
Ichabod would be written on the walls of my tower, 
men would flee out of it as they would out of a char- 
nel-house, when the light of day has revealed the 
death's heads grinning on every side of them." 

The Master of the Royal Mint was astonished that 
any citizen could entertain the proposition for a 
moment ; " for," said he, " our enemies will bring in 
with them an abundance of gold, gold tried in the 
fire, gold without dross or alloy, whereas our coin is 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



279 



so thoroughly adulterated that it is with the greatest 
efforts we can keep it in circulation ; and it is only 
by rigorously enforcing the ordinance which declares 
6 all gold that glitters,' that we can keep the wheels 
of commerce rolling ; in fact, our circulating medium 
does not contain an ounce of gold to a ton of dross, 
and can we expect that men will be content with our 
cankered and rust-eaten coin, when they have once 
listened to the ring of the true metal ?" 

Mr. Vanity, as the representative of the Court of 
Fashion, was entirely opposed to the proposition. 
"The entrance," said he, "of such a multitude, with 
their robes of righteousness and garments of salvation, 
would be the ruin of our court ; for the moment our 
citizens caught a glimpse of their livery, more gorgeous 
than the rainbow, they would turn away from our 
habiliments, the shape and color of which have caused 
us so much anxious thought, as from filthy rags." 

The Master of the Armory was opposed to their 
entrance for the same reason. " When our citizens," 
said he, "once behold their dazzling squadrons array- 
ed with the ' armor of righteousness on the right hand 
and on the left, having their loins girt about with 
truth, and their feet shod with the preparation of the 
Gospel of peace,' they will turn with loathing from 
our armor of lies." 

Mr. Glimmer thought he could see land ahead. 
" If," said he, " their coin is pure gold, gold coined 



280 



THE CITY OF SI'S. 



in the mint of heaven, and ours is pure dross ; if their 
garments outshine the sun, and ours are as filthy 
rags ; if they are clad in the armor of truth, and we 
in the armor of lies, why not exchange I Would any 
sane man feed on chaff when a granary filled with 
wheat was opened, and all were invited to come 
without money or price?'' 

As Mr. Glimmer was proceeding to canvass the 
aforesaid arguments, a messenger announced that the 
enemy were making a grand assault upon every gate 
and tower of the city, and called upon every man to 
" arm for the fight.*' 

IS" ow it is worthy of note that many who went 
up to the battle lingered by the way. Old Mr. Con- 
sider was heard to say to those around him, while 
girding on his armor, "If Truth, and Virtue, and 
Honesty, and Purity are so much superior to False- 
hood, Injustice, and Impurity, what are we fighting 
for ? If the first are as radiant and joyous as the 
angels who guard the gates of light, and the last are 
as dark and malign as the fiends who stand as sen- 
tinels around the gates of hell, why do we contend 
longer I The bear fights for her cubs, and the lion 
for her whelps, but we fight for monsters who feed 
on our miseries. I for one am free to confess that I 
am heartily sick of the war ; I should be rejoiced if the 
armies of Immanuel should, before the sun went 
down, crumble every tower, and break down every 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



281 



gate, and drive from our midst the parasites who, 
coming to us in the garb of friendship, have scattered 
fire-brands and death among us." As Old Obstinate 
was about to reply a ball struck him in the mouth, 
which rendered him speechless for several days. 

The battle waxed hotter and fiercer throughout the 
day, and far into the night. Many were mortally 
wounded, many were slain outright. Old Mr. Preju- 
dice had his spectacles shot away. Mr. Blind received 
such a blow on his head that he saw the stars for the 
first time in his life. Mr. Atheist had the letter IT 
cut out of his shield, on which was carved, " There 
is no God." The top of the Capitol was carried 
away, leaving it in appearance like a truncated cone. 
Many of the towers were completely riddled, and so 
terribly was the city shaken that vast numbers of the 
citizens buried their treasures, fearing, if taken by 
storm, they would be plundered of their all. Not a 
few were in favor of making an unconditional sur- 
render, and had it not been for the awe inspired by 
Captain Man-fearing, they would have hung out the 
white flag in the very beginning of the assault. 

The soldiers of Immanuel retired to their tents, by 
no means disheartened. " A few more such efforts,' 5 
said Mr. Yaliant, " and we shall win the day." 

Early the next morning they were called together 
to receive the congratulations of their Prince, sent 
by Mr. Eye-to-eye, formerly sent out as embassador 



282 



THE CITY OF SIST. 



extraordinary to the City of Sin. He assured them 
that their valorous deeds were written in his book of 
remembrance ; and if they had received any damage 
in the fight, they should each receive a hundred fold 
in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting. 
He hoped they would remember they were all breth- 
ren, children of the same Father, bought with the 
same price, and redeemed with the same precious 
blood. As God had made of one blood all the na- 
tions of the earth, and especially as they were now no 
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens 
with the saints, and of the household of God, let all 
bow the knee unto the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and 
earth is named, endeavoring to keep the unity of the 
Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Mr. Eye-to-eye had no sooner gone away than the 
different tribes fell to recriminating each other for 
the failure of the assault. Mr. Episcopos said that 
if all the tribes had fallen into line, and marched in 
regular succession, they would have swept every- 
thing before them. Mr. Bapto thought that if they 
had only used more water, there would not have 
been one stone left upon another. Mr. Free-will 
thought fire better than water. Mr. Independent 
thought that if they had used altogether artillery 
brought from Geneva, they would long since have 
ground their enemies to powder. They seemed to 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



283 



ftvrget that the same arguments, the same logic, and 
the same rhetoric, had been used a thousand times 
before, but with no avail. A pyramid of books have 
been written to prove that Mr. Episcopos was in the 
right ; and an equal number to show the superiority 
of the Genevan artillery. The champions of fire and 
water have met time and again, but in their combats 
they have appeared like "men beating the air." 
Months and years have been wasted in criminations 
and recriminations, when they should have been em- 
ployed in pouring an incessant fire upon the armies 
of the aliens. And it was to heal these divisions, and 
to reconcile these differences, that Mr. Eye-to-eye was 
sent back to gather the tribes and clans together, and 
enforce upon their hearts and consciences the mean- 
ing of the words : " Of whom the whole family in 
heaven and earth is named." Ephesians iii, 15. 

" Men are prone to forget the unity of God and 
the unity of the human race. While every object in 
nature proclaims his unity, men in every zone have 
been ready to imagine 1 the Godhead like unto gold, 
or silver, or stone graven by art and man's device,' 
peopling earth, seas, and air with divinities innumer- 
able. The plumage of birds, the moss-covered rocks 
of the arctic, and the rich foliage of the tropics are 
all stamped with the same original hand. There is 
not a bluebell that blooms, or planet that rolls, but 
joins in the anthem pealing through the universe, 



284 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



' The hand that made us is Divine. 5 And yet the 
most polished nations of antiquity have given to 
every object in nature a presiding divinity. iEolus 
ruled the winds, and Neptune the seas. There were 
gods supernal and gods infernal. They did not seem 
to understand, as there could have been but one ar- 
chitect who conceived the plan of the Acropolis, so 
there could have been but one Architect who plan- 
ned and built up the temple of the universe, whose 
walls of blue, fretted with stars, bend over us in such 
majestic proportions. A temple on whose every 
column and entablature is written, in lines of light, 
'There is one God, and there is none other.' 

" In like manner they have forgotten the unity of 
the human race. The first blunder was preparatory 
to the second. The moment they embraced the error, 
£ There are gods of the hills, and gods of the valleys,' 
they were ready to adopt the dogma, that diversity 
of color and language was evidence of the diversity 
of origin in the human race. Hence it is no wonder 
that when men began to worship antagonistic gods, 
and to ignore the oneness of their origin, that the 
earth was filled with wars and rumors of wars. And 
I may safely say that the tribes of earth will never 
beat their swords into plowshares, until a firm belief 
in the unity of God and of the human race finds a 
lodgment in the hearts of men. Many who profess 
to be wise in the wisdom of the schools, tell us that 



THE CITY OF SIN. 285 

the races now inhabiting the globe are not the de- 
scendants of the same renowned ancestry ; and in 
this they aim a blow at the word of God, which posi- 
tively declares that God made of one blood all the 
nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the 
earth. Should they succeed in wiping out this prin- 
ciple from the minds of men, how soon would the 
strong be encouraged to oppress the weak ! how soon 
would the powerful be emboldened to make war upon 
men of another color and another dialect ! and when 
leading their sons and daughters into captivity, they 
would lay the soothing unction to their souls, ' These 
sorrowing captives are not bone of our bone, nor flesh 
of our flesh.' 

" But those who advocate this theory are aiming a 
deadlier blow at our faith ; for, if the races of men 
have sprung from different sources, if all men are 
not the descendants of Adam, then the Lord Jesus 
Christ, ' of whom the whole family in heaven and 
earth is named,' did not suffer and die for all men. 
For it is only those who die in Adam who are to be 
made alive in Christ ; and as only a small portion of 
the population of the globe, according to this theory, 
are descended from Adam, and therefore involved in 
his transgression, so only this small portion can be 
benefited by the obedience and death of Christ. 
Hence, the Gospel should not be preached to the 
different races of men ; for only those can be bene- 



286 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



fited by his sufferings who are of the seed of Abra- 
ham, of whom Christ came. Hence the Book of 
Genesis, which declares that Xoah and his three sons 
were saved alive in the ark, while the world of the 
ungodly perished, and that from them have sprung 
the various races of men now on the earth ; all those 
writings of the prophets which announce the coming 
of the Ancient of .Days, who shall gather into one 
fold Jew and Gentile ; all the writings of the apostle 
who was especially commissioned to preach unto the 
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, were 
sheer fabrications, emanating from the overheated 
imaginations of men, whose fevered brains had never 
been cooled bv the waters of human learning. 

" Let us, therefore, examine the foundation on 
which we stand, and see if it is as rotten as they 
would have us believe. Their argument runs thus : 
certain races of men are black, others are white ; 
some have flat noses and woolly hair, others long and 
straight hair ; some are intellectual, others are stupid 
and ignorant ; therefore the races of men are not de- 
scended from the same primogenitors. But the Bible 
asserts that all men are the offspring of Adam ; there- 
fore the Bible is not true. But do we say, because 
certain sheep have fine wool and others long and 
coarse, because some are black and others white, they 
are as diverse in origin as the ox and the lion? 
Some horses are black, some white ; some are red, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



287 



others gray ; some, like the Arab barb, are fleet and 
powerful ; others, like the pony of Shetland, are 
diminutive. Do we therefore say that the steed of 
the desert has sprung from a different origin, because 
his neck is clothed with thunder ? 

" The variety and diversity in color, habits, tastes, 
and dialect we discover in the different races of men, 
are in strict analogy with the diversity developed in 
the vegetable and animal world. Unity in diversity, 
and diversity in unity, is the universal law. Every 
genus has its species, and every species its varieties. 
Among roses what diversity in color and fragrance! 
yet we never mistake, in any of its species, red, white, 
or yellow, a rose for a lily. Among dahlias how 
great the varieties ! and yet, among all its varieties, 
however diversified in shape, size, and color, we 
never mistake a dahlia for a thistle. If we walk out 
among the forest-trees, we shall find the same law 
prevailing. Among maples there are the soft and the 
hard, or sugar maple, as it is called ; among birches 
there are the white and the black ; among walnuts 
some are tall and fruitless, others, like the shag-bark, 
abound in fruit. How towering and majestic do the 
cedars of Lebanon appear, in comparison with the 
white cedar-trees growing in marshy districts ! Among 
fruit-bearing trees how great the variety ! yet we 
never mistake an apple for a peach, or a pear for a 
quince. 



288 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



" Much of this variety depends on the soil, climate, 
and cultivation ; so the varieties in the races of men 
depend on the soil, climate, diet, and much on culti- 
vation. But this law is more strikingly illustrated as 
we ascend in the scale of being. As with the Flora, 
so with the Fauna, all are divided into families. If 
we go down into the sea, we find its finny tribes 
divided into distinct classes ; but however great the 
variety in each family, we are at no loss to designate 
{he genus to which each belongs. The same law of 
division into families holds among insects and rep- 
tiles, and each bears a mark to distinguish its class. 
Among quadrupeds the same law rules ; each bears a 
brand to designate its clan. And should it be any 
wonder that the same law is imposed on man which 
holds so universally in vegetable and animal life? 
Shall the rose, the dahlia, the coral, and the butter- 
fly be distinguished with such striking varieties, and 
man present the same dull round of uniformity ? or 
shall we say, because men differ in shape, size, dialect, 
and color, that they are not all of one family ? Cu- 
vier not only asserted, but proved, that the bone or 
tooth of any animal or reptile being given, he could 
designate the class to which it belonged. In like 
manner the naturalist, the fin of the fish or the talon 
of the bird being given, can assign its family. And 
so distinguished is every bone, nail, tooth, and liga- 
ment of the human frame, that the merest tyro in 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



289 



science can readily separate them from those of all 
other animals. 

" Men of learning have ransacked the globe, during 
the last century, in order that they might discover 
the genera and species of everything that hath life 
and breath ; and while many imagined that they were 
rearing up a lofty structure, under the shadow of 
which the vine of God's right hand planting would 
wither and die, they have thrown into our camp 
weapons whereby we can sweep away their refuge 
of lies. They have gone down into the caverns of 
the earth, and discovered that the different strata of 
rocks composing its crust are divided into tribes and 
families ; and so distinctly are the lines of demarka- 
tion drawn, that no one can mistake granite for 
marble, or mica for quartz. They have walked out 
on the sea-shore and gathered up its shells ; they 
have entered the laboratory and analyzed the 
precious metals ; they have mounted the observatory 
and surveyed the stars ; and returning, they have put 
into our hands incontrovertible arguments whereby 
we can show that the same law of unity in variety 
which is imposed on the human race, extends from 
the floating atom to the farthest star. 

"Little did Linnaeus and his coadjutors realize, 
when gathering and classifying the Flora of every 
zone, that they were adding fresh confirmations to our 
faith. All the light which Cuvier and the orbs which 

19 



290 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



revolved around him have poured upon our pathway, 
has only enabled us to see more clearly the truth, that 
God made of one blood all the nations of men. 

" Now what men of science have done for us in the 
physical world, the same have mental philosophers 
wrought out for us in the empire of mind ; for they 
have discovered that mind, like matter, is govern- 
ed by certain laws, eternal and unchangeable ; and 
as the powdered dust of the desert and the diamond 
dust of the Milky Way are subjected to the same laws 
of gravity and affinity, so the minds of men, savage 
and civilized, are governed by the same mental laws. 
The memory, the judgment, and the imagination of 
the most ignorant Hottentot and the most renowned 
philosopher present the same mental phenomena. If 
we take a child from the interior of Africa, who has 
been fed on grub-worms and caterpillars, and another 
from the most enlightened nation of Europe, and 
place them in the same school, and in the same class, 
we shall find the laws of development the same in 
the mind of each; although the development may be 
more rapid and vigorous in the white child, yet, so 
far as their faculties are unfolded, it will be in 
harmony with the same mental laws. As the body 
of the red man and European have the same number 
of bones, so their minds are endowed with the same 
number of faculties, and their hearts with the same 
susceptibilities and affections. Now this is not true 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



291 



of animals, for instinct and reason are as far separate 
as is the east from the west. Man's superiority to 
the brute that perisheth is shown, not only by being 
made upright, but by the vast superiority of his in- 
tellectual powers. The instinct of the animal is like 
a harp of one string, while the mind of man may be 
compared to a lyre of a thousand strings. The bee 
can make hexagons, but it is impossible for it to 
make octagons; but man, guided by reason, can 
make hexagons and octagons, epics and madonnas, 
steam-ships and steam-presses. The dog is superior 
to man in scenting his prey, but man can direct his 
way in safety through the wilderness and over the 
trackless desert. The nightingale can sing only one 
song, but the mind of man is a belfry containing a 
full chime of bells, by which he can ring out an 
infinite variety of harmonies. Neither let us imagine 
that this chime of bells is only set up in the minds of 
men born among the more polished nations of the 
earth ; for we shall find it only requires the hand of 
culture to bring out the same harmonies from the 
minds of the Caffre and Esquimaux as are heard 
pealing from the bell-towers of Athens and Corinth, 
of Oxford and Cambridge. 

" The more we study the laws of mind, the more 
we watch the development of its faculties, the more 
familiar we become with the growth of its powers, 
the stronger will be our conviction that all men 



292 



THE CITY OF SIK. 



are brethren. The more rigidly we investigate 
the history of the unfolding of the intellect in 
those tribes who have emerged from a barbarous 
into a civilized state, the more ready shall we be 
to clasp the hands of beggars and bankers, and 
say, 'Our Father who art in heaven.' And we 
shall be the more constrained to this when we 
examine the laws which govern the hearts of men; 
for if their bodies and minds are influenced by the 
same organic and mental laws, more especially are 
the susceptibilities and affections of their hearts 
governed by the same moral laws. Go where we 
will, from the poles to the equator, we shall find 
that the heart of the savage and civilized man 
continues to wax worse and worse in a course of 
vice, while it improves in the same ratio when 
subjected to religious training. There is the same 
wealth and poverty of the affections among all na- 
tions, as marriage is honored or dishonored. The 
love and the hate of the red man are in strict 
analogy with the love and hate of the white man ; 
there may be more intensity in one case, but the 
laws of development are the same. Xow, if there 
are so many evidences to be found in the bodies, 
minds, and souls of men, of the oneness of their 
origin, how many more when they have been crea- 
ted anew in Christ Jesus. Te are members one 
of another.' This is not onlv true of men formed 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



293 



of the dust, and endowed with intellect, but espe- 
cially when born again and adopted into the fam- 
ily of Heaven. And here we are ready to ask, Why 
will a family of rattlesnakes live in harmony in 
the solitude of their mountain cavern, while men 
who profess to draw water from the wells of sal- 
vation, bite and devour one another? The wasp, 
the copperhead, the boa, and the tiger, never prey 
upon each other. The wolf will prey upon the 
lamb, but, however tortured by hunger, he never 
laps the blood of his brother wolf. The vulture 
eagerly devours the kite, but all the members of 
the vulture tribe are sacred in his eyes. The 
lion, who lives by plunder, manifests the tender 
mercies of the dove toward those of his own fam- 
ily. Yet man, the son of an immortal sire, over 
whom blazes the torch of reason, and around whom 
gushes the fountain of wisdom, hates, and defrauds, 
and murders his fellow-man. Wars, terrific and 
devastating, have convulsed the earth, not only 
among tribes of a different dialect and color, but 
among men born in the same land and reared in the 
same faith. Sons have been arrayed against fa- 
thers on fields of martial strife, brothers with broth- 
ers have met in fell encounter. Hence the neces- 
sity of a Divine teacher, to reveal unto men the 
oneness of their origin, and to teach them to say, 
with clasped hands, ' Our Father who art in 



294 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



heaven.' To teach and to practice this great truth, 
was the great work of our Master when upon 
earth ; and it should be the paramount duty of us 
especially who have been united to the true Tine, 
and made members of the household of faith. 

"Adam became a living soul, God having breathed 
into his nostrils the breath of life. The life-blood 
he poured in the veins of Adam he continues to 
pour into the veins of his numerous offspring. Thus, 
I may say, the blood of the second Adam has been 
poured into the hearts of the saints in all ages. 
The spiritual life of Abel and Enoch was im- 
parted unto them by the life-giving breath of God 
the Holy Ghost. This Divine breath gave vitality 
to the patriarchs and prophets, to the martyrs and 
confessors. Abraham and Lot, Moses and Samuel, 
were saved by believing in a Saviour to come ; we 
are saved by believing in a Saviour who has al- 
ready come. The saints of God constitute but one 
family. They who lived before the advent of the 
Prince of Peace, were saved by looking forward 
to the fulfillment of the promise ; we are saved by 
believing in Him ''who made (by his one oblation 
of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and suffi- 
cient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins 
of the whole world.' 

"The races of men widely scattered over the earth 
present a great variety in dialect and color, but 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



295 



there is no difference in the blood which courses 
through their veins. Thus the family of Christ pre- 
sents every variety in externals, in shades of opin- 
ion, in forms and modes of worship ; but the differ- 
ence is only skin deep. Their hearts are filled and 
expanded with the same love, animated with the 
same joy, and sustained by the same hope. All 
are links in the same golden chain, branches of 
the same tree, clusters of the same vine, stars in 
the same constellation; one Lord, one faith, one 
baptism, one God and Father of all, one Mediator 
of the new covenant, one cross by which we are 
crucified unto the world, and the world unto us. 

"The pillar of fire and of cloud which guided 
the Israel of God to their promised inheritance, 
guides our feet in this howling wilderness. The 
faith that saved Abraham saves us. The hope 
that emboldened Caleb and Joshua emboldens us. 
The love that constrained Paul and Silas con- 
strains us. The new song put into the mouth 
of the Psalmist has been sung by the sacra- 
mental host of God's elect in every age. The 
robe of righteousness which covered the nakedness 
of Samuel and the prophets, is wrapped about the 
demon worshipers of the Niger and the man-eat- 
ers of New-Zealand. David upon the throne and 
Lazarus lying at the rich man's gate were clad 
in the same livery. The Hebrew lawgiver and 



296 THE CITY OF SIX. 

blind Bartimeus were ennobled with the same coat 
of arms. The live coal of fire which touched the 
lips of the prophet prince, touches and hallows 
the Hps of the humblest believer. The chariot of 
lire which carried Elijah to heaven lifts the beg- 
gar from the dunghill, and bears him to the bosom 
of God. The ark of the covenant which carried 
the household of faith above the water floods, is 
carrying us to the ' haven where we would be.' 
The form of the Fourth which walked with the 
Hebrew captives in the furnace of fire, walks with 
us in the furnace of tribulation. 

" Solomon in all his glory was never arrayed like 
those men, who, clad in sheep-skins and goat-skins, 
wandered in the caverns and dens of the earth. The 
starry robe of night is not so gorgeous as the mantle 
of holiness wrapped about every member of this 
royal family; a family more ancient than the Ptolo- 
mies, more famous than the Gracchi ; a family dis- 
tinguished for its patriots, and renowned for its he- 
roes ; a family every member of which not only 
looks like a prince, but is in truth a prince, destined 
to become a king and priest unto God forever ; a 
family fruitful in saints, and prolific in martyrs; a 
family whose heroes rival Leonidas and Palefox, 
whose historians are head and shoulders above the 
Xenophons and Gibbons of ancient and modern days, 
whose poets are unrivaled even by Homer and Pindar, 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



297 



whose orators have caused the iron-hearted judge to 
tremble, and kindled blushes on the cheek of the 
proudest potentate ; a family whose elder brethren are 
now sceptered and throned in light, whose younger 
brethren are strangers and pilgrims upon earth; a 
family whose heritage in this life has been 'evil things,' 
that in the world to come they may receive their 'good 
things;' a family frowned upon by the world, assailed 
by the ungodly, jeered by the scoffer, and buffeted by 
Satan; and yet the Father has smiled approval, the 
Son has enriched with his grace, the Spirit has com- 
forted, and angels have beckoned them away to 
those shining seats, where their elders and chiefs are 
waiting to bid them welcome to those mansions of 
rest in reservation for all those who go up through 
great tribulation, and wash their robes and make 
them white in the blood of the Lamb. May we all, 
as members of this family, subjects of this King, and 
children of this loving Father, continue to walk 
worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, 
with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, 
forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep 
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let us 
all now, with one heart and one voice, rise and sing : 

" 1 Let saints below in concert sing, 

With those to glory gone ; 
For all the servants of our King, 

In heaven and earth are one. 



298 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



a ' One family, we dwell in Him, 
One Church above, beneath, 

Though now divided by the stream, 
The narrow stream of death. 

" 4 One army of the living God, 

To his command we bow ; 
Part of his host have eross'd the flood, 

And part are crossing now. 

" 4 Some to their everlasting home, 

This solemn moment fly ; 
And we are to the margin come, 
And soon expect to die. 

" 1 Lord Jesus, be our constant guide : 
And, when the word is given, 

Bid death's cold flood its waves divide, 
And land us safe in heaven.' " 



BOOK VI. 



THE CITY TAKEN BY STORM— THE JUBILEE 
OF A THOUSAND YEARS. 



BOOK VI. 



ME. CONSIDER, WITH A FEW OF HIS NEIGHBORS, LEAVES THE CITY 

PURSUED BY APOLLYON AND HIS BODY-GUARD THEY ARE 

SENT TO THE FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE MR. RITE SENDS 

THEM TO MOUNT CEREMONY RESCUED BY THE KING'S MES- 
SENGERS TAKEN INTO CAMP GREAT JOY — MR. YALIANT 

PROPOSES A GENERAL ASSAULT GATES AND TOWERS ATTACK- 
ED — RESERYOIR SET ON FIRE CITY ENTERED BY IMMANUEL's 

FORCES — BATTLE RAGES CITY SHAKEN BY AN EARTHQUAKE, 

AND EVERY TOWER DEMOLISHED — A HAIL STORM MINGLED 
WITH FIRE — APOLLYON IS SEIZED AND IRONED, AND CAST INTO 
THE BOTTOMLESS PIT — THE TRIUMPHAL ARMY MARCH THROUGH 
THE CITY — THE JUBILEE OF A THOUSAND YEARS. 

Now it did happen, as soon as it was announced in 
the city that great preparations were being made 
for another assault, that fearfulness and trembling 
seized upon Mr. Consider and all his neighbors ; and 
calling them together, he proposed that they should 
depart secretly by night from the city, and go unto 
the camp of the saints, and make inquiry upon what 
conditions they might hope to obtain pardon for their 
rebellion to the King. " If we remain here," said he, 
" we shall most assuredly perish. We can but die 
if we fall into the hands of our enemies. Better to 
be hewers of wood and drawers of water among 



302 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



them than remain here and starve, or fall victims to 
the pestilence which now rages in our midst/' 

This proposition was heartily approved by all pres- 
ent, and especially by his two sons-in-law, Sincere and 
Contrition. During the late assault their hearts had 
been pierced with arrows from the King's archers; 
and they were now ready, they said, to leave father, 
or mother, or brother, or sister, or houses, or lands, 
to find some one who could bind up their aching 
hearts. 

As soon as it was fairly dark Mr. Consider, to- 
gether with Mr. Broken-heart, Mr. Desire-to-flee-the- 
wrath-to-come, and Mr. Tremble-at-my-word, departed 
out of the city. The night soon became very dark 
and tempestuous. The way was rough and full of 
pit-falls, and as they were ignorant of the way, and 
having no guide, they were soon in great perplexity. 
At one time they were just entering a cavern filled 
with serpents, and in fleeing from their hiss and fang, 
they came into a jungle of lions and tigers. Besides 
the thorns and briers along the way, a deep growth 
of tangle-wood rendered, it almost impossible for 
them to advance a single step. Being soon over- 
come with fatigue in cutting their way through, and 
being tormented with thirst, they wandered about 
seeking for water, but could find none save a few 
ponds filled with gall and wormwood. While drink- 
ing at these ponds, a flash of lightning revealed them 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



303 



to a sentinel standing on the walls of the city. He 
immediately sprung his rattle, and forthwith the 
alarm-bell was rung, and Apollyon, with his body- 
guard, sallied forth to seize upon the deserters, 
declaring that he would flay them alive, could he 
but once lay hands on them. When Mr. Consider 
and his little band heard the alarm-bell ringing, they 
had no doubt that their departure from the city had 
been discovered. Yery soon they heard the yell of 
Apollyon, and for a moment they were ready to give 
up in despair ; the earth rocked and reeled beneath 
their feet ; the thunders uttered their peals like the 
trumpet on Sinai, that waxed louder and louder ; the 
serpents and lions, startled by the crash of falling 
forest-trees, set up a hiss and roar which would have 
caused the stoutest hearts to quail ; and, to augment 
their misery, a great horror of darkness settled upon 
them. They would have raised a cry of distress, but 
they feared they should thereby discover their retreat 
to their pursuers. The rain came down in torrents, so 
that they were unable to kindle a fire, which might be 
a signal of distress to those in the camp. Every mo- 
ment they expected their pursuers would be upon 
them, but the tangle-wood which obstructed their 
way, was equally a barrier to Apollyon and his guard. 
Meanwhile the night wore away, and the morning 
dawned, and great w T ere their joy and surprise to find 
that the rain, against which they had murmured, had 



304 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



caused a little brook, which they had passed over 
without even noticing it, to swell to a mighty torrent, 
so that it was impossible for their pursuers to cross 
over. " And this reminds me," said Mr. Consider, 
" of the words of the King's messenger, 6 All things 
shall work together for good to those who truly love 
God." 5 

Xow the names of this body-guard of Apollyon 
were Mr. Spite, Mr. Yiper, Mr. Hornet, Mr. Scorpion, 
Mr. TTasp, Mr. Go-it-blind, Mr. Eat-drink-and-die, 
Mr. Fang, and Mr. Yice. Being drawn up on the 
opposite bank, they gazed on the booming water- 
floods which separated them from the objects of their 
pursuit, grating their teeth in useless rage. Mean- 
while Apollyon thus addressed Mr. Consider and his 
fellow-fugitives : 

" My dear children, why do you flee away from 
your lawful king ? Have I ever restrained you from 
doing as you might list since the clay you were born ? 
Have I ever put a rein on your lusts, or a bridle on 
your passions ? Did I ever shut you out from any 
joy in seeing or hearing? Did I ever interdict you 
from any indulgence in eating, or drinking, or 
revenging ? Have I not provided milliners and flat- 
terers to foster your pride I Have I not built up gin- 
palaces, and gambling saloons, and theaters, and 
dance-houses for your recreation ? Have you not 
passed a delightful pupilage under Mr. Lust-of-the- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



305 



eye and Mr. Pride-of-life? Can you have any fears 
that my power will ever be broken, that the impreg- 
nable towers of my city will ever be overthrown; a 
city which has survived the shocks of time and the 
waters of the deluge? Ten thousand cities and dy- 
nasties have risen like bubbles from the sea, and like 
bubbles they have passed away, but my power and 
glory can never be dried up. The way before you is 
full of pit-falls, briers, and thorns; you will never 
obtain the good which you seek ; your groaning, and 
praying, and weeping will all end in smoke ; come 
back, therefore, to the loving arms of your old 
master, and the embrace of these your old companions 
dear." 

As Mr. Consider was slow of speech, Mr. Tremble- 
at-my-word took upon himself to reply. 

" We have been told by the King's messenger, that 
you were 4 a liar from the beginning,' and i the father 
of lies ;' that you are always 6 seeking whom you 
may devour,' and that as 6 the god of this world,' you 
have 'blinded the eyes of those who believe not;' 
and as to your c power never being dried up,' we 
have been told that the day cometh, 6 when the Lord 
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty 
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them 
that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of 
our Lord Jesus Christ : who shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, 

20 



f J. 

306 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



and from the glory of his power ; and then shall that 
Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume 
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with 
the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming 
is after the working of Satan, with all power, and 
signs, and lying wonders.' If I mistake not, the 
chain is already forged whose ponderous links shall 
bind you for a thousand years. You tell us that you 
have permitted us to have our fill of sinful pleasures, 
but every cup of pleasure we have quaffed at your 
banqueting-table has been a cup of poison. You 
have fostered our pride, but we have been assured 
that ' pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty 
spirit before a fall.' You have permitted us to pass 
a delightful pupilage under Mr. Lust-of the-eye and 
Mr. Pride-of-life, but it was only to render each of us 
two-fold more the child of hell; and now methinks 
I hear a voice ringing in my ears, 'Escape for thy 
life, tarry not in all the plain.' " 

And as they looked up they saw that the lightnings, 
which had caused them to tremble so often the night 
before, had burned up the tangle-wood, so that there 
was neither let nor hinderance in the way. 

When Apollyon saw that they would not hearken 
unto him he immediately 'sent back his body-guard, 
and, transforming himself into an angel of light, he 
passed on before Mr. Consider and his little com- 
pany ; and soon turning about, he addressed them in 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



307 



a manner courteous and friendly, asking them from 
whence they came, and Avhither they were going. 
To whom' they replied, "We are fugitives from the 
City of Sin, and are fleeing to the camp of Im- 
manuel." 

Then said Apollyon : " It gives me great pleasure 
to meet you ; for it has been my business for many 
years to guide pilgrims in the right way, and to in- 
struct them how to prepare to come into the presence 
of the Prince ; for I hope you do not think of coming 
into his presence with your garments all tattered and 
torn ; for, to tell you the truth, you all look as though 
you had been drawn through a thorn hedge. Per- 
mit me, therefore, to present you some thread, called 
the thread of good works, with which you can mend 
and darn up your ragged garments ; after w r hich you 
will wash them thoroughly in a fountain near by, 
called the Fountain of Knowledge ; then I w T ill give 
you the oil of self-righteousness, with which you will 
anoint your faces to make them shine ; and then I 
will furnish each of you with a bottle of the wine of 
self-laudation, w T hich maketh the heart glad. Then, 
and not till then, will you be prepared to present 
yourselves before Prince Immanuel." 

After giving each of them a friendly salutation, 
Apollyon departed to parts unknown. 

And now Mr. Consider and his companions set to 
work to darn and mend their tattered garments ; but 



308 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



they soon found that, with all their efforts, it was im- 
possible to give them a respectable appearance ; for 
the thread and parches being of a different color, the 
one green and the other red, they looked more rueful 
and poverty-stricken than before. And the waters of 
knowledge, instead of cleansing, only rendered the 
dirt and filth more apparent. 

u ZST ow I do remember." said Air. Consider. the 
words of the King's messenger : ; For, though thou 
wash thee with niter, and take thee much soap, yet 
thine iniquity is marked before me. saith the Lord 
God. 4 If. as we have been told. ; our righteousness is 
as filthy rags.' can we ever hope to transform these vile 
rags into a wedding garment \ Can we ever make 
them resemble in the least the livery of the King, 
said to be more dazzling than the sun ! If the thread 
of good works and the waters of knowledge can re- 
store the rents and remove the filth from our garments, 
what are we to understand by trie words, * Though I 
bestow all my goods to feed the poof, and though I 
give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it 
profiteth me nothing. And though I have the gift of 
prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowl- 
edge, and though I have all faith, so that I could 
remove mountains, and have not charity. I am 
nothing V ?J 

Xow, while they were in great perplexity and 
doubt, not knowing which way to turn, they were 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



309 



met by old Mr. Kite, whose snowy locks and vener- 
able appearance seemed to be sure pledges of his 
truth and' honesty. He professed to be the only sure 
guide for pilgrims fleeing from the City of Sin to the 
camp of the saints ; and, in order that there might be 
no mistake as to his mission and identity, he was 
loaded down with certificates and testimonials from 
kings and potentates, dukes and lords, who had 
traveled safely under his guidance. He also carried 
about with him an enormous scroll, on which were 
written the names of his ancestors for more than a 
thousand years. And, notwithstanding many of .his 
progenitors were notorious robbers, and murderers, 
and adulterers, he could never be done talking of his 
renowned ancestry. Taking Mr. Consider by the 
hand, he bade his companions follow, fearing no evil. 
He soon brought them to an eminence, from whence 
they could have a fair view of Mount Ceremony. At 
so great a distance, it appeared to be a mountain of 
diamonds, so great was the splendor thereof! 

" Yonder," said Mr. Rite, pointing to Mount Cere- 
mony, "is the safe retreat of all fugitives, fleeing 
from the dominion and power of sin and Satan. 
When you plant your feet on yon shining mount, 
you will be able to sing, \ Lo, the winter is passed, 
the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the 
earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and 
the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.' Then 



310 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



the darkness and chaos will give place to the light 
and order of a new creation ; then that voice, whose 
mandate winds and waves obey, will speak peace to 
the raging sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 
There is the abode of peace and plenty ; there are 
fountains which never run dry ; there the rose of 
Sharon fills the air with the rich odors of love ; there 
stand the trees of righteousness, flinging their broad 
brandies heavenward ; there also is the tree of 
knowledge and the tree of life. On yon flaming 
mount stands the Temple of Liberty. [How long 
will Mr. Rite promise men liberty, while he himself 
is entangled with the yoke of bondage ?] There the 
thunders of Sinai are never heard ; there Apollyon 
never dares to set his foot; for there is the shining 
seat of him who exalteth himself above all that is 
called God, or that is worshiped ; so that he, as God, 
sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he 
is God. And unto him are committed the 6 keys of 
the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever he binds on 
earth is bound in heaven. He alone hath power to 
open and power to shut ; the power to bind and the 
power to loose ; therefore flee unto him, for he alone 
can give eternal life." 

Mr. Consider and his companions were much 
elated by what they had seen and heard ; and hur- 
rying on with all their might, they soon came to the 
foot of Mount Ceremony. They were not a little sur- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



311 



prised, however, to find that, instead of its being 
clothed in verdure, not a shrub, or flower, or tree 
was anywhere to be seen. On every* side were 
huge piles of volcanic rocks, ashes, and cinders. 
But, hoping that the promised verdure and the 
trees of righteousness would be visible a little 
further up, they traveled on regardless of the diffi- 
culties of the ascent. They soon came to vast fields 
of snow and ice, and the further they ascended the 
deeper was the snow. Enormous layers of ice soon 
appeared ; centuries must have rolled away in their 
formation. At last, overcome with fatigue, they 
were about giving up the journey in despair; but 
just at that moment they caught a glimpse of the 
domes and spires of a vast city, its walls and tow- 
ers, of alabaster whiteness, shining like crystal in 
the distance. Cheered and encouraged by the 
sight, they toiled on, hoping the promises of Mr. 
Rite would now be fulfilled. But great was their 
disappointment to find, when entering the city, that 
its walls and temples had been hewn, not of solid 
rock, like Petra, but of ice harder than the nether 
millstone. Not a human being was to be seen in 
the streets; all was silent and solitary. On enter- 
ing one of the temples, they found it filled with 
men, women, and children; but great was their con- 
sternation to discover that they were all frozen to 
death. A great number of priests, robed and 



312 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



mitered, holding censers, were frozen kneeling be- 
fore the altar. Hour after hour they wandered 
from temple to temple, hoping to find warmth and 
life within ; but over all and around all reigned an 
eternal winter. The kneeling priests and the kneel- 
ing worshipers were as cold and stiff as the glitter- 
ing arches bending over them. Over the gateway 
of every temple was written, "Having a form of 
godliness, but denying the power thereof." In one 
temple they saw a priest kneeling at the altar, hold- 
ing a flint in one hand and an old sword hilt in 
the other. He had evidently been striving to strike 
a fire, for the tinder beneath had taken fire, burned 
a little, and then gone out. "Now this reminds 
me," said Mr. Consider, "of those 'who walk in the 
light of their own fire, and in the sparks of their 
own kindling. They shall lie down in sorrow.' " 

And fearing that a like fate would overtake them, 
they made all haste to depart. When they had 
got fairly out of this city of the dead, they discov- 
ered a lofty mound to the right. Up this they 
clambered, hoping to discover from its top a safe 
way of returning to the valley from whence they had 
started. Great was their astonishment when sur- 
veying the vastness of the mountain, and of the 
city which covered its summits, with its palaces 
and temples, whose domes and spires shone like 
sapphire in the rays of a meridian sun. Soon, how- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 313 

ever, the sky was overcast, a racking mist wrapped 
itself about the spurs of the mountain, shutting out 
from their vision every object which could guide 
them in their way back. Very soon a storm of 
sleet and rain succeeded, covering the surface of the 
snow with an icy crust smoother than ivory. They 
were therefore in danger every moment of sliding 
down into some ravine or gulf below. They were 
not able to advance, only as they crawled on their 
hands and knees. As the rain froze as it fell, 
their garments were soon incrusted with ice and 
sleet; their hands and feet were so benumbed with 
cold that it was almost impossible to move them. 
A chill struck into their vitals, followed by a stupor 
which weighed so heavily that it was with great 
difficulty that they could keep awake. 

Mr. Consider begged his companions to beware 
of going to sleep. "If," said he, "we suffer our- 
selves to fall asleep, we shall soon be frozen to 
death, and be like unto the frozen worshipers in the 
ice temples we have just escaped." Notwithstand- 
ing his entreaties, the lethargy seemed to steal upon 
their faculties, closing up their senses; they no 
longer made an effort to advance ; they heeded not 
the roaring of the storm, or the frightful chasms 
yawning beneath them, and folding their arms 
around each other, they laid themselves down on 
the frozen snows in hopeless despair. 



314 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



And now, at this juncture, a messenger arrived 
from the camp of the King, bearing in his hands a 
bundle of rods, with which he commenced beating 
violently Mr. Consider and his companions, calling 
upon them at the same time to awake from their 
stupor. He soon succeeded in getting them up on 
their feet; and bidding them take each other by 
the hand, he led them, by a way they knew not, 
down the mountain. "When they had got fairly into 
the valley, and shaken off their lethargy, they began 
to understand the great peril into which they had 
been led by Air. Rite with his lying flatteries, and 
the kindness of the King's messenger in rescuing 
them therefrom. "And now I begin to compre- 
hend,'' said Mr. Tremble-at-my-word, " the meaning 
of those words, 'My son, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art 
rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he 
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he re- 
ceiveth.' c 2s"ow no chastening for the present seem- 
eth joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless afterward it 
yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto 
them which are exercised thereby.' " 

Having erected a pillar at the foot of Mount 
Ceremony, they inscribed thereon these words: "Ye 
shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at J erusalem, 
worship the Father. God is a Spirit, and they that 
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 



THE CITY OF SUST. 



315 



The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life : circum- 
cision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in 
the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." 

And now, as the King's messenger led them along 
toward the camp, he pointed out to them the sundry 
by-paths which have been cast up from time to time, 
to decoy pilgrims from the right way ; explaining at 
the same time the law of the King, which is inscribed 
over the gateway of entrance into his kingdom : 
" The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the 
violent take it by force." 

"Now you will understand," said he, "that the 
laws of our King, in the empire of nature, of mind, 
and of grace, are uniform and analogous. The law of 
attraction is the same in the furthest star, as upon our 
earth. The law which wheels along Saturn with his 
stupendous rings, and Jupiter with his moons, propels 
our globe in its annual voyage around the sun. The 
laws of light, of motion, of electricity, and of gravity, 
are the same in every part of the universe. The light 
of those stars which are so far from us that they have 
no apparent parallax, is transmitted through space no 
faster and no slower than the light which emanates 
from the sun. The motion of the heavenly bodies, so 
uniform and harmonious, results from the fact that 
they are ruled by the same King and governed by the 
same law. The scepter he sways in giving regularity 
to suns and planets, is potent in like manner in our 



316 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



world. Over the gateway of the kingdom of nature is 
inscribed the unchangeable law: 'The kingdom of na- 
ture sufiereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 5 
"The fruits and benefits of nature are -hid away 
from the vulgar eye, and we seize upon them only as 
we overcome the difficulties and remove the obsta- 
cles which lie along our path. If we would have 
wheat we must sow wheat ; but before we sow we 
must, ax in hand, level the forest-trees, dig up the 
roots, and mellow the soil with plow and harrow ; 
and even before we can make use of the axe and 
plowshare, we must dig up the iron ore from its 
mountain bed, melt away its dross, and hammer it 
into shape. Silver and gold are not scattered pro- 
fusely over the surface of the earth, but hid away in 
some obscure corner of the world. Eocks and 
mountains are piled thereon, and if we seize upon 
these precious treasures we must traverse seas and 
continents, buffet winds and waves, and dig down 
through the flinty rock, with the violence of muscles 
and bones, and iron and steel. The treasures of coal, 
salt, copper, and lead are concealed in vast mines, 
far down in the bowels of the earth ; the drill, the 
ax, the spade, and the plow are the ponderous keys 
with which we unlock the store-houses in the kingdom 
of nature, into whose portals the violent force an 
entrance. They, and they only, who spin and weave 
are entitled to be arrayed like the king's daughter. 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



317 



He who follows in the cliase has a right to be in at 
the death. He who 'goes forth bearing precious 
seed w T ill doubtless come again, bringing his sheaves 
with him.' It is by the violence of industry that the 
wilderness is transformed into a land of corn and 
wine ; rivers of milk and honey flow down in chan- 
nels dug by the hands of the violent. Doubtless 
manj have been arrayed in purple and fine linen 
who never came within speaking distance of the loom 
and distaff; many have fared sumptuously every 
day who never put their hands to the plow ; but they 
are to be classed with those who climb up some other 
way into the kingdom of nature. 

"This law is equally binding in the kingdom of 
knowledge ; over the portals of the ten thousand 
temples dedicated to science and art is inscribed 
this eternal law : £ The kingdom of knowledge suffer- 
eth violence, and the violent take it by force.' 

"We come into the world naked in body and 
mind ; and if it requires the forth-putting of physical 
power to clothe the body, so in like manner to robe 
the intellect in beauty. Men gather diamonds dig- 
ging in the mines of Omar and Golconda ; and can we 
hope to seize upon the pearls of science and art 
unless we explore their unfathomable mines ? And 
we should also remember, that in the empire of mind 
the oceans are wider, the mountains are higher, and 
the difficulties more appalling ; and we could never 



318 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



enter its vast domain, and possess ourselves of its 
treasures, reposing on downy beds. Sir Humphry 
Davy did not analyze the chemical properties of 
bodies, and reveal the knowledge of the safety lamp, 
saying, * A little more sleep, a little more folding of 
the hands to sleep.' Sir William Jones and Alexander 
Murray did not educe order from the confusion of 
Babel, and seize upon the pearls of the Orient, shut 
up in the Castle of Indolence. Heyne, and Simpson, 
and Ferguson did not cry, * A lion in the way,' when 
they scaled the rocks of ignorance and poverty. 
Xapier. Boyle. Mendelsohn, and AVatt stand as way- 
marks to the kingdom of knowledge, living epistles 
known and read of all men, because they dared to 
enter its portals by the violence of thought — constant, 
vigorous, burning thought. 

" When Sanctorio invented the thermometer, and 
Torricelli constructed the barometer, and demon- 
strated the pressure of the air ; when Hervey discov- 
ered the circulation of the blood, and Jenner showed 
the safety and utility of vaccination ; when Castelli 
laid the foundation of hydraulics, and Gassendi de- 
termined the velocity of sound : when De Dominis 
caught the first idea of the true nature of the rain- 
bow, and Grimaldi discovered the wave-theory of 
light ; when Arkwright set Briareus to spinning cot- 
ton, and Cartwright invented the power-loom ; when 
Fulton gave wings to commerce, and Franklin en- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



319 



tered the home of the thunder, they were not wasting 
their time and talents in 'silken dalliance,' or shuf- 
fling spotted pasteboard. 

"The gates of the Castle of Ignorance stand open 
day and night, the drawbridge is always down, the 
avenues leading thereto broad and flowery ; while the 
gates of the kingdom of knowledge are always shut, 
the road thereto rough and thorny, and those who 
travel thereon find that every step is attended with 
doubts and difficulties. In like manner we enter the 
kingdom of heaven with the holy violence of faith 
and agonizing prayer. The huge bundles of vicious 
habits have been so firmly tied upon us, we have 
been so long incased in the rust-eaten armor of self- 
righteousness, that it is not the work of an hour or a 
day to throw them off. Men who have been living 
for years on the banks of the great Dismal Swamp of 
transgression, inhaling its miasma, and bathing in 
its iniquitous waters until they are covered with 
putrifying sores, cannot expect to emerge from its 
pestilential vapors, and become naturalized and ac- 
climated in that kingdom, where £ all the air is love,' 
in the twinkling of an eye. W e must bring our 
hearts, with all their plagues and woes upon them, 
and submit them to the probing-knife of the Great 
Physician, at any cost or sacrifice. The rooted lusts 
must be cut away, and the fallow ground broken up, 
before we can have our fruit unto holiness. The 



820 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



benefits of this kingdom are without money or price, 
but we must comply with the conditions before we 
can be partakers thereof. The withered hand must 
be stretched out before it can be restored ' whole as 
the other the blind man must 1 go, wash in the 
pool of Siloam,' before he can declare, ' Whereas I 
was blind, now I see ; s and the impotent man must 
s rise, take up his bed and walk,' before he can be 
made whole. 

If men would enter this kingdom, they must 
be ready to cut off" right hands and pluck out right 
eyes ; in other words, there are sins to be repent- 
ed of, idols to be given up, and darling lusts to 
be parted with. "We eat bread by the sweat of the 
brow : we eat the bread of knowledge by the sweat 
of the brain ; and we eat the bread of heaven by the 
sweat of the soul. With money we can fill our 
libraries with tomes of learning ; but all the books 
and all the instructors in the world can never fill 
our heads with knowledge, without a constant and 
vigorous effort on our part. With money we can 
build churches, erect altars, and surround ourselves 
with singing men and singing women ; but without a 
rending of hearts and not of garments on our part, 
we can never become wise in the science of salva- 
tion. It requires but little effort to bend the knees 
of the body ; but to bend the knees of the soul in the 
dust and ashes of humility, and cry, with our hands 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



321 



upon our mouths, 6 Unclean, unclean ! God be merci- 
ful to us sinners !' to tear our affections from creature 
objects and nail them to the cross, to love our ene- 
mies and pray for those who evilly entreat us, to 
pluck up sin by the roots, to overturn the tables 
of the money changers, to wean the heart from 
the world, to drive the thongs into the lusts of the 
flesh and the lusts of the eye, requires a violence 
of effort, at the sight of which the fearful and un- 
believing have turned away aghast. 

" We should never forget the words of the King : 
6 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth 
the will of my Father which is in heaven.' Eternal 
life is promised to those who, by patient continuance 
in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immor- 
tality. Look, therefore, now for him to verify his 
precious promise : 6 Every one that hath forsaken 
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 
or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, 
shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit ever- 
lasting life.' Now come to the arms of mercy 
stretched out to receive you, and know the fullness 
of his promise : ' Whosoever cometh unto me shall 
in no wise be cast out.' Come, cutting off the offend- 
ing hand, and plucking out the offending eye, for it 
is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God 

with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into 

21 



322 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



hell-fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is 
not quenched. 

" And now," said the messenger, " let us all kneel 
down and pray that the times of refreshing may come 
from the presence of the Lord." After remaining on 
their knees some time in silent prayer, he began au- 
dibly, saying : " O Lord most holy, O Lord most 
mighty, we, poor, helpless sinners, come before thee, 
begging and entreating thee, for the sake of thy Son, 
Jesus Christ our Lord, to have mercy upon us. 
Grant that the scales of unbelief may now fall from 
our eyes. Let the fire and hammer of thy word melt 
and break our flinty hearts. Lord, we would believe; 
help thou our unbelief. Now we pray thee to untie 
every cord, and break every yoke, and bring us into 
the liberty of the sons of God. Sprinkle ohm hearts 
from an evil conscience ; apply the blood of sprink- 
ling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Thou art the Father of lights ; grant, we beseech 
thee, that light streaming from thy throne may now 
illumine our darkened understandings. Let the clew 
of thy love descend upon us, let the clouds drop fat- 
ness, may the rain of righteousness come clown upon 
us ! O, break to our souls the bread of life, and help 
us with joy to draw water from the wells of salva- 
tion. Impart unto us, of thy fullness, power to be- 
lieve, power to repent, power to take thee at thy 
word. Now help us to touch the hem of thy gar- 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



323 



ment. May we now by faith stretch out the with- 
ered hand ; and stepping into the Gospel pool, may 
we wash away the dismal stains that sin hath 
made. We ask for the washing of regeneration, and 
the renewing of the Holy Ghost; we ask for the spirit 
of adoption, whereby we can cry, Abba, Father ; we 
ask for the revelations of thy love, and that thou 
wouldst lift upon us the light of thy reconciled coun- 
tenance. We would wrestle like Jacob, that we may 
prevail like Israel ; we would pant for the living 
God ; we would hunger and thirst after thy right- 
eousness, that we may be filled with peace like a 
river, a joy unspeakable, and a hope full of immor- 
tality. Thou hast promised, though our sins be as 
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they 
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

" O, blessed Saviour, thou hast opened the eyes 
of the blind, and unstopped the ears of the deaf, and 
raised to life the unconscious dead. Open, we pray 
thee, our blind eyes, unstop our deaf ears, and 
quicken us by thy Spirit, who are dead in trespasses 
and sins. We would cry mightily unto thee, Jesus, 
thou Son of David, have mercy upon us. We would 
smite upon our breasts and cry, God be merciful to 
us, sinners ! We have no other hope, or trust, or 
plea. We plead thy promises, we plead thy suffer- 
ings, we plead thy death. May the merits of thy all- 
cleansing blood avail for us ! Now may we hear thy 



324 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



pardoning voice saying to each of us, Son, be of 
good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee. Let down 
upon us the curtain of thy glory, wrap about us the 
mantle of holiness, fold about us thy arms of mercy, 
hide us in the secret of thy tabernacle, and put a 
new song of praise in our mouths, even praise to the 
Lord. Receive us, we pray thee, into thy fold ; adopt 
us into thy family, that we may be able to say, with 
the redeemed on earth and the redeemed in heaven, 
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests 
unto God and his Father, to him be glory and domin- 
ion forever and ever. Amen." 

"While the King's messenger was thus praying and 
supplicating, sobs and cries were heard on every 
side ; ever and anon could be heard the stifled 
prayer: " God, be merciful to me, a sinner." "Jesus, 
thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" " Create in 
me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." 
And now, as they continued to wrestle and agonize 
in prayer, the darkness began to flee apace, a few 
glimmering rays at first began to streak the eastern 
sky, when anon the sun arose with healing in his 
wings, pouring light and warmth around them. 
Great was their astonishment and delight to dis- 
cover that they were standing in the Valley of Humil- 
iation, and the tents of the armies of Immanuel 
pitched round about them. They were soon met by 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



325 



the body-guard of the King, who bade them welcome 
with outstretched hands and smiling countenances, 
giving to each a white robe and a new name, and 
then led them along the tabernacles of Zion, tears 
of joy meantime streaming down their happy faces, 
until they came to the pavilion of the King, who 
gave to each a kiss, calling them his children, and 
commanded them to sit down to his royal table that 
they might eat and live for evermore. 

While they were banqueting at this feast of fat 
things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full 
of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined, they 
lifted up their united voices, and sang, 

" Children of grace have found 

Glory begun below : 
Celestial fruits on earthly ground, 

From faith and hope may grow. 

u The hill of Zion yields 

A thousand sacred sweets, 
Before we reach the heavenly fields, 

Or walk the golden streets. 

" Then let our songs abound, 

And every tear be dry ; 
"We're marching through Immanuel's ground 

To fairer worlds on high." 

" Surely," said Mr. Consider, "my cup runneth 
over ; my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit 
doth rejoice in God my Saviour." 



326 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



And now it did seem that their hearts would burst 
with joy when they saw their wives and children led 
into the camp, whom they had left behind in the 
City of Sin. They ran to embrace each other, weep- 
ing and trembling with emotion. One moment they 
were asking of each other's welfare, and the next 
shouting, " Glory to God in the highest !" After 
telling of the trials and conflicts through which they 
had passed in their flight to this their city of refuge, 
they all rose up and sang, 

" And are we yet alive, 

And see each other's face ? 
Glory and praise to Jesus give, 

For his redeeming grace ! 

" What troubles have we seen ! 

What conflicts have we pass'd ! 
Fightings without, and fears within, 

Since we assembled last ! 

"But out of all the Lord 

Hath brought us by his love, 
And still he doth his help afford, 

And hides our life above. 

" Then let us make our boast 

Of his redeeming power, 
Which saves us to the uttermost, 

Till we can sin no more. 

"Let us take up the cross, 

Till we the crown obtain ; 
And gladly reckon all things loss, 

So we may Jesus gain." 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



327 



"Now," said Mr. Valiant, "now is the time to 
strike for victory. Let ns gird on our armor, and go 
up to assail yon city, until not one stone shall be left 
upon another. In the name of our God let us set up 
our banners. Let us go up trusting in the God of 
the armies of Israel. Now, while our ranks are fill- 
ing up with new recruits, warm in their first love, 
and eager to be led out to battle, while a panic has 
seized upon our enemies, and fugitives arc departing 
from out their gates every hour of the night, while 
haggard famine stalks through their streets, and dis- 
traction sits at their council-board, and while the 
Great Captain of salvation beckons us on to certain 
victory, let us, panoplied in the armor of light, go up 
to the contest, resolved that we will never give up 
the struggle until those bloody walls are ground to 
powder." 

At this there was the shout of ten thousand voices, 
" Let us go up to battle," " Now for victory ;" and 
seizing their scaling ladders, and taking along with 
them an old ordnance called the " ballot-box," they 
at first made an assault upon the reservoir, built on 
an eminence overlooking the city, which supplied 
the fountains of Rum, Gin, and Brandy. After sev- 
eral hours of hard fighting they succeeded in setting 
it on fire, and as the lurid flames rolled up from the 
conflagration of this vast structure, they revealed the 
bodies of men and women writhing in agony, faces 



328 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



spotted with ulcers and wet with tears, while the 
keepers of these fountains were seen weeping, and 
wailing, and gnashing their teeth. 

"When the news of this disaster was brought to 
King Alcohol he gave a howl of despair, and trem- 
bling with rage he rushed out of the city, determined 
to wreak his vengeance on his foes. But Captain 
Run-never, having had an eye on his movements, 
and prepared a noose for this very purpose, as he 
came on blinded with rage, threw it about his 
neck, and drawing it with a firm and steady hand, 
led him in triumph into the camp, and commanded 
him to be put in irons until he could be tried for his 
crimes. 

Meantime the battle raged with incredible fury; 
every brigade of the vast army was brought into 
action, every battery was in full play. About the 
going down of the sun every gate of the city had 
been broken down. Consternation seized upon the 
inhabitants when they saw the troops of Immanuel 
pouring in through every avenue. Apollyon ordered 
the bells to be tolled all night, and dispatched her- 
alds to bring up fresh battalions from Pandemonium. * 
He also commanded the streets to be barricaded, and 
as they had cut down the shade-trees in the city, 
in the straitness of the siege, for fire-wood, they 
brought out from the public libraries the encyclo- 
pedias and tomes of human learning, and piled them 



THE CITY OF SIN\ 



329 



up in the streets as a barrier to keep their enemies at 
bay. On the covers of many of the huge volumes 
were written, " Yolney's Ruins," " Gibbon's Decline 
and Fall," " Paine's Age of Eeason," (Paine's Age 
of Madness?) Many of the streets were barricaded 
with the pillories, and racks, and crosses which they 
brought up from Cruelty Lane ; hoping that the sight 
of these implements of death, with which they had 
tortured the saints of former ages, would strike terror 
into the hearts of the invaders. 

As night and darkness came on, the forces of Im- 
manuel, having passed round the watchword and ap- 
pointed their sentinels, laid down to sleep with their 
armor on ; and notwithstanding the noise and din of 
preparation within the city, the ringing of alarm- 
bells, and the shouting of the captains, they slept as 
soundly as they would had their heads been pillowed 
on beds of down. 

When the morning dawned they rose up, and 
after a few moments spent in silent prayer, they 
lifted up their united voices and sang : 

u Hark ! how the watchmen cry ! 

Attend the trumpet's sound ! 
Stand to your arms, the foe is nigh ; 

The powers of hell surround ; 
Who bow to Christ's command, 

Your arms and hearts prepare ; 
The day of battle is at hand ! 

Go forth to glorious war!" 



330 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



They then prepared to overleap the barriers which 
had been thrown up to oppose their march. While 
they stood surveying the height and depth thereof, 
a spark from one of the batteries without the city 
fell upon the fly-leaf of a coverless volume, and 
in a moment all was in flames, and in less than an 
hour not a vestige remained of this refuge of lies. 
Forming into column, they commenced their tri- 
umphant march. Soon the vanguard engaged with 
the enemy. The inhabitants, from the roofs of the 
houses, hurled down upon them stones and missiles 
of every description, together with arrows whose 
heads had been wound about with flax and dipped 
in pitch, and then set on fire ; but as every soldier 
was clad in complete armor, each having on the 
helmet of salvation and the breast-plate of right- 
eousness, and holding above his head the shield of 
faith, they were able to quench all the fiery darts 
of their wicked adversaries. 

The sun, which had shone out in unclouded splen- 
dor ever since its rising, suddenly went into a bank 
of clouds. The wind rose, filling the air with dust, 
which so blinded their eyes that they could scarce 
distinguish friend from foe. And now all at once 
the earth began to reel and rock under their feet; 
soon they heard the crash of falling houses, and the 
shrieks of men and women buried in the ruins. It 
did seem that the whole city was shaken by an 



THE CITY OF SIN*. 



331 



earthquake, and that it would be swallowed up in 
its throes. Every tower was overturned except the 
tower of Ignorance, which, it will be remembered, 
was built in the form of a pyramid. The walls 
round about the city were thrown down for miles. 
And now verily the powers of heaven were shaken, 
and while the earth rolled and rumbled beneath, 
the four winds swept through the air in terrible 
fury, hurling temples and palaces from their foun- 
dations, and bearing away their broken fragments 
as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor; huge 
blocks of granite seemed as light as the withered 
leaves of autumn. Great was the consternation of 
the prince of the power of the air, to discover that 
the winds no longer heeded his mandate ; and 
fearing his enemies would discover his loss of 
power, he hung out a white flag, and sent out an 
embassy, proposing to surrender to Immanuel all 
those parts of the city then in the possession of his 
troops, and all those parts which had been ruined 
by the earthquake. Great was his chagrin when 
his heralds returned, announcing that the Prince of 
Peace required an unconditional surrender, and that 
he also commanded them to proclaim on the house- 
tops and in the highways: "Behold, the day cometh 
that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, 
and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the 
day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord 



332 



THE CITY OF SIN". 



of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor 
branch-" 

At this announcement Apollyon howled and 
writhed in terrible rage, reminding one of the scor- 
pion, that stings itself to death when ringed with 
fire. And verily was he. and all his forces, ringed 
with fire. The batteries without the city were like 
a chain of fire round about, while every gate and 
avenue was in the possession of the assailants ; and 
it did seem that the whole city would soon be 
burned up with the fireballs and bombs which were 
showered upon it. 

And now the Common Council issued a procla- 
mation, commanding every opera, and theater, and 
dance-house, and gambling house, to be shut up. 
Every man was required, on pain of death, to enter 
his name on the muster-roll. 

Meanwhile the day wore away, and the night 
came on apace; and as Captain Run-never and his 
little band were surveying the ruins of the Tower 
of Popery, they discovered the lord keeper thereof, 
sitting like Marius amid the ruins of Carthage. 
Captain Run-never called upon him, in the name of 
the God of battles, whose place he had usurped, to 
surrender himself a prisoner of war. At first he 
maintained a sullen silence, and then broke out in 
exclamations of rage and defiance. At this Captain 
Run-never commanded him to be put in irons and 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



333 



placed under guard till he could be tried for his 
crimes; and wrapping his scarlet mantle round 
him, red with the blood of saints and confessors, they 
led him into the camp. 

During the night, while the armies of Immanuel 
slept sweetly, protected by an Omnipotent arm and 
watched over by angel bands, the besieged worked 
incessantly to throw up intrenchments ; and by 
making use of the broken pillars and prostrate col- 
umns which had survived the earthquake and tor- 
nado, they were enabled to throw up a vast and 
solid structure before the morning dawned. Great 
was the astonishment of the invading armies when 
they discovered the huge pile which had sprung 
up, as by enchantment, during the night. At 
first they were not a little dismayed when they 
saw vast numbers of the enemy standing on this 
newly erected battlement, swinging their arms in 
exultation and bidding them defiance. After their 
usual devotions, they took up their line of march, 
in order that they might batter down, if possible, 
this seemingly impregnable bulwark. Yery soon 
after the columns began to move, they were some- 
what startled by the unusual appearances in the 
heavens. There was a death-like stillness in the 
air, the sun shone out with a lurid glare, rumbling 
noises were heard far down in the earth, and there 
was a chilliness in the air which penetrated to their 



334 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



very hearts core. Soon a high wind rose, accom- 
panied with rain and sleet, which rendered the 
pavement so slippery that it was almost impos- 
sible for them to keep their footing. Ever and 
anon the earth opened, and through the rifts 
livid and forked flames darted up, so that it 
was with great difficulty they dragged along 
their artillery wagons. The rain having ceased 
suddenly, a hail-storm succeeded ; and intermin- 
gled with the hail could be seen balls of fire, 
as though the stars were falling from out the 
sky. And as Apollyon had commanded the 
great war-drum to be struck, and all the bells 
in the city to be tolled, and as their peals min- 
gled with the noise of the falling hail-stones 
and the thunder of the batteries assaulting the 
city, a scene was presented truly terrific and 
appalling. Of a sudden the subterranean thun- 
ders ceased, the sea, which had been boiling like 
a pot, became calm. There were signs in the 
heavens, vapor and smoke ; hot ashes and cinders 
fell about them, broken fragments of volcanic 
rocks succeeded, filling the atmosphere with a me- 
phitic gas, which almost stifled them. 

As those on the walls saw the advancing columns 
reeling and staggering, thev raised a shout of derision, 
waving their hands in exultation ; but their joy was 
short-lived, for at this moment an angel " came down 



THE CITY OF SIN. 



335 



from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, 
and a great chain in his hand ; and he laid hold on 
Apollyon, • that old serpent, which is the devil and 
Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him 
into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a 
seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no 
more till a thousand years should be fulfilled." 

As in the twinkling of an eye, the earth lifted 
itself up, hurling citadel, and battlement, and tower 
from their foundations; the elements are melting 
with fervent heat, and a rain of fire falls upon the 
city, like unto that which fell upon Sodom and Go- 
morrah ; and as the flames rose up from the burning 
city, the armies of Immanuel lifted up their voices, 
saying, " Alleluia, salvation, and glory, and honor, 
and power unto the Lord our God, for true and 
righteous are his judgments." 

And now the thrones were set, and " they sat upon 
them, and judgment was given unto them ; and the 
souls that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and 
for the word of God, and which had not worshiped 
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his 
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands ; and 
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years ; 
but the rest of the dead lived not again till the thou- 
sand years were finished. This is the first resurrec- 
tion. Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in 
the first resurrection; on such the second death 



336 



THE CITY OF SIX. 



ha tli no power, but they shall be priests of God and 
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 
And the holy city, the Xew Jerusalem, descended 
out of heaven from God, having the glory of God ; 
and her light was like unto a stone most precious, 
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a 
wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and 
at the gates twelve angels, and names written 
thereon, which are the .names of the twelve tribes 
of the children of Israel. And the wall of the city 
had twelve foundations, and in them the names of 
the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the city had 
no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it : 
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is 
the light thereof. And the nations of them which are 
saved shall walk in the light of it : and the kings of 
the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. 
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day : 
for there shall be no night there. And they shall 
bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that 
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or 
maketh a lie : but they which are written in the 
Lamb's book of life. 



THE END. 



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A book for ministers of all denominations, the illustrations with which it abounds 
being derived from all sources. 

Anecdotes for the Ladies. 

By Rev. Daniel Smith. With an Introduction by Rev. R. S. 
Foster, D.D. 18mo., pp. 448, 50 cents. 
A book full of interesting sketches, relating to all the relations of woman, as wife, 
mother, and daughter, and should be in the hands of all. 

[The four above with gilt edges, each 7 5 cents.] 

Angels, Nature and Ministry of. 

By Rev. James Rawson. 18mo., pp. 118, 25 cents. 

All that is revealed in relation to the nature, names, number, age, physical, intel- 
lectual, and moral qualities of angels, will be found in this book. 

Ancient Israelites. 

Manners of the Ancient Israelites, containing an Account of their 
peculiar Customs, Ceremonies, Laws, Polity, Religion, Sects, 
Trades, Division of Time, Wars, Captivities, &c. With a short 
Account of the Ancient and Modern Samaritans. By Adam 
Clarke, LL.D. 18mo., pp. 386, 40 cents. 
This book is highly recommended by Bishop Home. 



CARLTON AND PORTER'S BOOK-LIST. 



Bibles and Testaments, 

Royal Quarto Bibles. 

A new and splendid edition, illustrated with Twenty-five beautiful engravings, and 
containing the Apocrypha, a Concordance, Bible Dictionary. &c. A beautiful gift- 
book. Being larger, and having wider margins than the Quarto, it is designed also 
for a Pulpit Edition. 

Morocco, gilt edges $15 00 

Superior extra morocco, $18; beveled edges 23 00 

Imperial Quarto Bibles. (Just Published.) 

This edition is printed from a much larger type than any heretofore published, be- 
ing bold-faced English, with a center column of marginal references. The paper is 
superfine. It contains the text, index of subjects, family record, and twenty-five 
superior steel engravings. The various styles of binding are executed in the very 
best manner, and altogether it is the most splendid edition ever published in this 
country. 

These Bibles are purchased for wedding-gifts, as well as for holiday occasions, and 

they are most certainly appropriate and elegant presents. 
Presentation plates are prepared and put on in gilt, according to the direction of 

purchasers. 

Super extra morocco, paneled sides and beveled edges. $35 00 



Velvet, gold mountings, extra 50 00 

Quarto Family Bibles. 

1. Concordance, Apocrypha, Index. 

Sheep, $3; Roan, S3 50; Roan, gilt 4 00 

2. Concordance, Apocrypha, Index, and 12 Engravings. 

Sheep, 84; Roan, $i 50; Roan, gilt edges 5 00 

Neat calf, $5 50 ; gilt back 6 50 

SUPERFINE. 

3. Concordance, Apocrypha, Index, and 16 Engravings. 

Calf extra, §8 50 ; gilt edges 10 00 

Morocco extra, gilt edges, $12 00; beveled sides... 15 00 

Royal Octavo Bibles, Fine Paper. 

L Plain sheep f 1 25 

2. Plain calf, 12 engravings 2 00 

3. Calf extra, do. 2 75 

4. Do. do. gilt edges 3 25 

Octavo Testaments, Large Type. 

1. Plain sheep 65 

2. Calf. 6 engravings 1 00 

3. Calf gilt, do 1 25 

4. Calf extra, do 1 50 

24mo. Pearl Testaments. Xet - 

1. Muslin 08 

2. , gilt edges O il 

3. Roan embossed, gilt edges 15 

4. , tucks, gilt edges 25 

Pocket Bibles. 



A large assortment of various sizes and styles of binding. 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Bible Index and Dictionary. 

A Complete Index and Concise Dictionary of the Holy Bible : in 
which the various Persons, Places, and Subjects mentioned in it 
are accurately referred to, and difficult Words briefly explained : 
designed to facilitate the Study of the Sacred Scriptures. To 
which is added, a Chronology of the Holy Bible, or an Account 
of the most Remarkable Passages in the Books of the Old and New 
Testaments, pointing to the time wherein they happened, and to 
the Places of Scripture wherein they are recorded. By Bev. John 
Barr. 12mo.,-pp. 210. Price, sheep, 45 cents. 
This work is intended not only to assist unlearned readers in understanding the lan- 
guage of the Bible, but chiefly in readily turning to the places where every topic 
of information comprised in it occurs. It is especially valuable to Sunday-school 
teachers. 

Biblical Literature, 

Illustrations of Biblical Literature : exhibiting the History and 
Fate of the Sacred Writings from the earliest Period to the 
present Century ; including Biographical Notices of Translators 
and other Eminent Biblical Scholars. By Rev. James Townley, 
D.D. 8vo., 2 vols,, pp. 1306. Price, S3 00. 
Some idea may be formed of the vast diversity of matter which these two volumes 
contain, when one fact only is remembered — the Index fills nearly twenty-four 
pages of double columns in a small type. The work contains several engravings 
of antique languages, elucidating the historical notices with which they are con- 
nected. 

The whole work is divided into three parts, of which we present merely the gen- 
eral summary: 

Part I. From the giving of the law to the birth of Christ, in two chapters. 

Part II. From the birth of Christ to the invention of the art of printing, in thirteen 
chapters, exhibiting the historical details in progression by the successive centuries. 

Part III. From the invention of printing until the present time, in twelve chapters. 

Dr. Townley's Illustrations are essential to every good library, and to all persons 
who are desirous to attain an adequate and a correct acquaintance with the litera- 
ture and the learned men of times gone by.— Christian Intelligencer. 

Biblical Literature, 

By Rev. W. P. Strickland, D.D. 12mo., pp. 404. Price, 80 cents. 

The work is divided into nine parts, treating severally of Biblical Philology, Biblical 
Criticism, Biblical Exegesis, Biblical Analysis, Biblical Archaeology, Biblical Eth- 
nography, Biblical History, Biblical Chronology, and Biblical Geography. This 
enumeration will suffice to show the extent of the range of topics embraced in 
this volume. Of course they are treated summarily; but the very design of the 
author was to prepare a compendious manual, and he has succeeded excellently. — 
Methodist Quarterly Review. 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Commentaries, 

Benson's Commentary, 5 vols., sheep. Imperial 8vo... $13 50 



, half calf. 15 00 

, plain calf 16 50 

1 calf gilt 18 00 

— , calf extra 22 00 

Clarke's Commentary, 6 vols, sheep. Imperial 8vo... 16 oo 

( half calf. 18 00 

, plain calf 20 00 

— , calf gilt 21 50 

— — , calf extra 25 00 

( Turkey mor'co, full gilt 30 00 

Moody's New Testament, Illustrated by Scripture. Im- 
perial Svo., sheep 2 50 

, half morocco, extra 3 25 

Strong's Harmony and Exposition of the Gospels. 

8vo 3 00 

Watson's Exposition of Matthew, Mark, etc. 8vo. 1 75 

Wesley's Notes on the New Testament. 8vo l 80 

, plain calf. 2 20 

, calf gilt ... 2 40 

, calf extra. 2 60 

The same in Pearl type. 12mo 1 00 



Conversations for the Young on the Bible, 

Conversations for the Young, designed to Promote the Profitable 
Reading of the Holy Scriptures. By Rev. Richard Watson. 
12rno., pp. 300. Price, muslin or sheep, 60 cents. 

Though this work is designed for the benefit of young people, there are few adults 
who may not derive instruction from a serious perusal of it. It is worthy of a 
place in every Christian family and in every Sunday school in the land. 

Conversion of the World. 

Suggestions for the Conversion of the World, respectfully sub- 
mitted to the Christian Church. By Rev. Robert Young. 
ISmo., pp. 146. Price, 30 cents. 
Mr. Young's object is to promote the exertions of every Christian in his own sphere; 
and he has ably shown that there is a loud call for such exertions, and sure war- 
rant for expecting success. 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Hannah's Letter on Theology, 

A Letter to a Junior Methodist Preacher, concerning the General 
Course and Prosecution of his Studies in Christian Theology. 
By Rev. John Hannah, DD. 48mo., pp. 166. Price, 20 cents. 

Dr. Hannah's letter to a junior Methodist preacher is formed on the basis of Mr. 
Watson's Theological Institutes, and gives ample directions to the student how to 
pursue the subjects embraced in that work to a still greater extent. 

Harmony and Exposition of the Gospels, 

A New Harmony and Exposition of the Gospels, containing a 
Parallel and Combined Arrangement, on a New Plan, of the 
Narratives of the Four Evangelists, according to the Authorized 
Translation, and a continuous Commentary, with brief Notes 
subjoined, being the First Period of the Gospel History. With a 
Supplement containing extended Chronological and Topographi- 
cal Dissertations and a Complete Analytical Index. By James 
Strong, S.T.D. Beautifully illustrated by Maps and Engravings. 
8vo., pp. 590. Price, S3 00; half calf, $3 50; half morocco, 
$4 00 ; full morocco, $5 00. 

Harry Budd; 

Or, the History of an Orphan Boy. Square 12mo., pp. 253. 
Price, 50 cents; gilt, 70 cents; silk, 80 cents. 

Heart and Church Divisions, 

The Causes, Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions. 
Extracted from the Works of Burroughs and Baxter. By 
Bishop Asbury. 18mo., pp. 217. Price, 35 cents. 
This work is recommended by the Discipline. 

Heaven, Scripture Views of, 

By Kev. Jonathan Edmondson, A.M. 18mo., pp. 251. Price, 
35 cents. 

How many stand in need of something to direct their attention and affections to the 
heavenly world ! This excellent volume will help them to form a correct estimate 
of the comparative value of earth and heaven.— Methodist Quarterly Review. 

Hedding, Life and Times of, 

By Rev. D. W. Clark, D.B. Large 12mo., pp. 688. Price, $1 50; 
gilt edges, $1 80. 8vo., pp. 688. Price, half morocco or half 
calf, $2 25 ; morocco extra, $2 50. 
A model biography of a model bishop, embracing much that is interesting and valu- 
able in the history of the Methodist Church in the New-England States. 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Hebrew People, History of, 

The Hebrew People ; or, the History and Religion of the Israel- 
ites, from the Origin of the Nation to the Time of Christ: 
deduced from the Writings of Moses and other Inspired Au- 
thors ; and illustrated by Copious References to the Ancient 
Records, Traditions, and Mythology of the Heathen World. By 
George Smith, F.S.A., etc., etc. 8vo., pp. 6M. Price, $2 00; 
half calf, $2 50. 

This admirable •work, which forms a part of the series of Sacred Annals, presents a 
most reliable history of the Israelites and their religion. No student of the Bible 
should be without this work. 

Helps to the Promotion of Revivals, 

By Rev. J. V. Watson, D.D. 12ino., pp. 223. Price, 70 cents. 

This work contains some of the most valuable suggestions on a subject of vital im- 
portance to the Church, and should be read by all who take an interest in her 
future weal. 

Heroes of Methodism. 

Containing Sketches of Eminent Methodist Ministers, and Char- 
acteristic Anecdotes of their Personal History. By Rev. J. B. 
Wakeley. With Portraits of Bishops Asbury, Coke, and M'Ken- 
dree. 12mo., pp. 470. Price, §1 25. 
Life-like and interesting sketches of early Methodist preachers, their toils, hardships, 
and achievements, interspersed with anecdotes lively and entertaining. 

Heroines of History, 

By Mrs. 0. F. Owen. With eight Illustrations. 12mo., pp. 386. 
Price, 85 cents; gilt edges, 81 00. 

Heroines of Methodism; 

Or, Pen and Ink Sketches of the Mothers and Daughters of the 
Church. By Rev. George Coles. 12mo., pp. 336. Price, $0 90. 

Hibkrd on the Psalms, 

The Psalms Chronologically Arranged, with Historical Intro- 
ductions, and a General Introduction to the whole Book. By 
F. G. Hibbakd. 8vo., pp. 589. Price, $2 00 ; half morocco, $2 50. 

This book occupies an important place in Biblical interpretation, and is a valuable 
contribution to Biblical literature. 

h2 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Historical Confirmation of Scripture, 

With Special Reference to Jewish, and Ancient Heathen Testi- 
mony. By William Blatch. 18mo., pp. 144. Price, 25 cents. 
These lectures arose from a conviction in the mind of the author of the importance 
of furnishing the mass of Christian professors with a cheap and digested manual 
of the direct historical evidence to the facts narrated in Scripture. 

History of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 

From its Origin in 1766 to the General Conference of 1840. By 
Rev. Nathan Bangs, D.D. With Four Steel Engravings. 12mo., 
4 vols., pp. 1755. Price, $3 00. 
This is the only consecutive history of the Methodist Episcopal Church which we 
have, and forms part of the course of study adopted by the General Conference. 

History of the World. 

A General History of the World, briefly Sketched upon Christian 
Principles. By Rev. C. Earth, D.D. 12mo., pp. 374. Price, 
75 cents. 

Holy Living, Rules for. 

With Questions for Self-Examination. By Rev. Robert New- 
stead. 72mo., pp. 48. Price, muslin, gilt edges, 15 cents; 
roan tucks, gilt edges, 20 cents. 
A valuable pocket companion, and worthy of being often consulted. 

Honor, Six Steps to; 

Or, Great Truths Illustrated. By H. P. Andbews. Square 12mo., 
pp. 299. Price, 65 cents. 

Home's Introduction, (Abridged.) 

A Compendious Introduction to the Study of the Bible ; being 
an Analysis of "An Introduction to the Critical Study and 
Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, in four volumes, by the 
same Author. By Rev. Thomas Hartwell Hoene, D.D. 12mo., 
pp. 403. Price, 80 cents. 

Howard, Mrs, Susan, Memoirs of, 

Late of the South American Mission. With Extracts from her 
Journal and Letters. With a Portrait. By William Chapin. 
18mo., pp. 138. Price, 30 cents. 

Howe, Mrs. Mary, Memoir of. 

Containing Selections from her Letters and Diary. By her Hus- 
band. 18mo., pp. 282. Price, 35 cents. 

h 3 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Land of Promise, the; 

Or, a Topographical Description of the Principal Places in Pal- 
estine, and of the Country Eastward of the Jordan ; embracing 
the Researches of the most recent Travelers. Illustrated with 
a Map and numerous Engravings. By John Kitto, D.D. 12mo., 
pp. 334. Price, 75 cents ; gilt edges, §1 00. 

Last Witness; 

Or, the Dying Sayings of Eminent Christians and of Noted Infi- 
dels. By Osmox C. Baker, A.M. 24mo., pp. 108. Price, gilt 
edges, 25 cents. 

Lectures on the Beatitudes. 

The Mount of Blessing ; or, Lectures on the Beatitudes. By Rev. 
George C. Crum. Edited by Rev. D. W. Clark, D.D. 12mo., 
pp. 235. Price, 60 cents. 

Lectures, Select, 

Comprising some of the more Valuable Lectures delivered before 
the Young Men's Christian Association in Exeter Hall, London, 
from 1847 to 1S55. Edited by Rev. D. W. Clark, D.D. 12mo., 
pp. 439. Price, 75 cents. 

Lectures to Young Men, 

On their Dangers, Safeguards, and Responsibilities. By Rev 
D. Smith. 16mo., pp. 246. Price, 40 cents. 

Letters to School Girls, 

By Rev. J. M'D. Matthews. 18mo., pp. 247. Price, 35 cents ; 

gilt edges, 50 cents 

Light in the Dark Places; 

Or, Memorials of Christian Life in the Middle Ages. From the 
German of the late Augustus Xeaxdee, First Professor of The- 
ology in the Royal University of Berlin. 16mo., pp. 344. Price, 
gilt edges, 75 cents. 

1 i 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



M'Allum's Remains, 

Remains of the late Rev. Daniel M'Allum, M.D. Comprising 
Essays on Natural Theology ; Lectures on Scripture Characters ; 
Sermons, etc. With a Memoir of the Author. 12mo., pp. 307. 
Price, 40 cents. 

Manly Character, Formation of a, 

A Series of Lectures to Young Men. By Rev. George Peck, D.D, 
16mo., pp. 304. Price, 45 cents; gilt edges, 60 cents. 

Manners, Book of, 

A Guide to Social Intercourse. By Rev. D. Smith. 24mo., 
pp. 202. Price, 25 cents ; gilt edges, 35 cents. 

Maxwell, Lady, Life of, 

The Life of Darcy, Lady Maxwell, of Pollock, late of Edinburgh ; 
Compiled from her voluminous Diary and Correspondence, and 
from other Authentic Documents. By Rev. John Lancaster. 
12mo., pp. 407. Price, 70 cents ; gilt edges, $1 00. 
The extracts from the copious diary which she kept, bear indisputable evidences of 
a sanctified and well-regulated intellect. 

Mental Discipline, 

With Reference to the Acquisition and Communication of Knowl- 
edge, and to Education generally. To which is appended a Topi- 
cal Course of Theological Study. By Rev. D. W. Clark, D.D. 
18mo., pp. 320. Price, 45 cents. 

This is a work that ought to be studied by every young person, and especially by 
students in our colleges and academies, by both school and Sunday-school teach- 
ers, and by young ministers. Part I. treats on the Acquisition of Knowledge. 
Part II. Communication of Knowledge. Part III. Characteristics of the Disci- 
plined Mind. 

Mental Science, 

A New and Extensive Analytical Examination of the Elements 
of Mental Science ; containing Evidences of Difference, distin- 
guishing between Elements of Mind which lie at the Founda- 
tion of Mental Action, and Elements of Mind which lie at the 
Foundation of Moral Action. Designed for Students. By Rev. 
Moses Smith, A.M. In two volumes. Vol. 1, 12mo., pp. 491. 
Price, $1 00. 

m 1 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



National Magazine. 

8 vols., Syo., muslin, each 81 50 ; half calf, SI 75 ; morocco, gilt 
edges, S2 00 ; Turkey morocco, 82 50. 

Natural Goodness ; 

Or, Honor to whom Honor is Due. Suggestions toward an Ap- 
preciative View of Moral Men, the Philosophy of the Present 
System of Morality, and the Relation of Natural Virtue to Re- 
ligion. By T. F. R. Merceix, A.M. 12mo., pp. 2S6. Price, 
65 cents ; gilt edges, 85 cents. 
The author enters fully into an investigation of a very important subject. He has 
thought deeply, and writes vigorously and clearly. — Chris. Advocate and Journal. 

Nelson, John. Journal of. 

Extract from the Journal of John Nelson : being an Account of 
God's Dealings with him, from his Youth to the Forty-second 
Year of his Age. ISmo., pp. 190. Price, 30 cents. 

One of the most distinguished of all Mr. Wesley's early preachers was John Xelson, 
a stone-mason of Birstal. in Yorkshire: a man of deep and fervent piety, of strong 
and manly sense, of ready and pungent wit. and of admirable firmness and reso- 
lution. This Journal, relating with beautiful simplicity the particulars of his con- 
version, of his ministry, and of his patient sufferings in the cause of Christ, is 
one of the most interesting and instructive publications of the kind in the English 
language. 

New Divinity. System of. Explained, 

An Examination into the System of New Divinity, or New-School 
Theology. By Rev. F. Hodgsox, D.D. 12mo., pp. 416. Price, 
60 cents. 

New Testament Church Members. 

Portraiture of New Testament Church Members. By Charles 

Adams. 12mo., pp. 368. Price, 65 cents. 
The author communicates his thoughts with great facility, and is usually happy in 
the manner in which he presents truth to the mind. The present work is highly 
practical, and embraces almost every possible phase of human character and hu 
man duty. — Christian Advocate and Journal* 

New Testament Expounded and Illustrated, 

According to the usual Marginal References, in the very Words 
of Holy Scripture. Together with the Notes and Translations, 
and a Complete Marginal Harmony of the Gospels. By Clemext 
Moody, M.A., Magdalen Hall, Oxford ; Perpetual Curate of Se- 
berghani. 8vo., pp. 655. Price, $2 50; half morocco, $3 25. 



GENEEAL CATALOGUE. 



Palestine, Geography and History of. 

The Geography and History of the Holy Land, adapted to Bible 
Classes, Sunday Schools, and Private Use. By Rev. F. G. Hib- 
bard, D.D. Illustrated with Twenty Stereographic Maps. 12mo., 
pp. 362. Price, $1 00. 

Parent's Friend; 

Or, Letters on the Government and Education of Children and 
Youth. By Rev. Daniel Smith. 18mo., pp. 204. Price, 30 cents. 
The Subjects embraced in these Letters are : Propensity of Children to imitate — Sub- 
ordination — Means of securing Subordination— Parents should act in Concert- 
Courage — Superstition — Company, Home, etc. — Home made agreeable — Books — 
Truth— Honesty— The Sabbath— Kindness and Benevolence— Industry— Profanity 
— Temperance — Method of conveying Instruction— Parental Condescension — Phys- 
ical Training — Good Breeding — Hours of Becreation— Emulation — Attention — 
Memory — Self examination and Confession, Patience, Faith, Prayer — Dress, Ex- 
travagance, etc. — Amusements — Character — Chastity — Beligion — Knowledge of 
the Scriptures — Professions, Occupations, and Connections, considered with regard 
to Eternity. 

Pastoral Office in the M. E. Church. 

An Essay on the Pastoral Office, as Exemplified in the Economy 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By Rev. J. H. Wythes, M.D. 
18mo., pp. 109. Price, 30 cents; gilt edges, 45 cents. 

Pastoral Visitations, Letters on. 

Addressed to a Junior Wesleyan Minister. By Rev. R. New- 
stead. 18mo., pp. 48. Price, 5 cents. 
When we say that the " Letters" are prefaced by three notes, from Dr. Hannah, Dr. 
Dixon, and the Eev. Thomas Jackson, recommending their publication, additional 
observations would be useless. Their circulation would do good. 

Path made Plain, the; 

Or, an Explanation of those Passages of Scripture most fre- 
quently Quoted against Christian Perfection. From the French 
of the Rev. John L. Rostan, Wesleyan Minister, Paris. Trans- 
lated by a Lady. 24mo., pp. 144. Price, gilt edges, 30 cents. 

Path of Life, the; 

Or, Sketches of the Way to Glory and Immortality. A Help to 
Young Christians. By Rev. Daniel Wise. 16mo., pp. 246. 
Price, 50 cents; gilt edges, 75 cents; silk, $1 00. 
The object of this book, to "help young Christians," is truly great and noble. The 
author, we think, has carried out his design with signal ability. Mr. Wise writes 
with great clearness, and is always both attractive and instructive. 

P 1 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Patriarchal Age, the; 

Or, the History and Religion of Mankind from the Creation to 
the Death of Isaac: deduced from the Writings of Moses and 
other Inspired Authors, and illustrated by copious References to 
the Ancient Records, Traditions, and Mythology of the Heathen 
World. By Rev. G. Smith, F.A.S., etc. 8vo., pp. 522. Price, 
$2 00 ; half calf, §2 50. 

Personal Effort: 

The Duty Explained and Enforced. By Rev. Daniel Wise. 

24mo., pp. 90. Price, 20 cents. 
Admirably .adapted to aid those who labor for the benefit of others. If circulated 
and read to the extent its merits would justify, it might be the means of saving 
hundreds, if not thousands. 

Philosophy and Practice of Faith. 

By Lewis P. Olds. 12mo., pp. 353. Price, 65 cents ; gilt edges, 
85 cents. 

Contexts. — First Part.— General Yiew of Faith— Pure, Simple, or Intellectual 
Faith— Practical. Belying, or Saving Faith — Unity of Faith— A Living Faith and 
a Dead Faith— Unbelief the Native Condition of the Mind— Walk by Faith— The 
Three Antagonisms of Faith — Faith and Works— Increase and Diminution of 
Faith. Second Part. — Ancient and Modern Faith Compared— Faith of Nations — 
Congregational Faith — Faith of the Christian Ministry — Prayer and Faith — Faith 
of the Cloister— Faith of Active Life— Faith of the Ignorant — Faith of the Young — 
Faith in Prosperity— Faith in Adversity — Faith in Life and in Death. 

Pilgrim's Progress 

From this World to that which is to come : delivered under the 
Similitude of a Dream. By John Bunyan. With an Introduc- 
tion, Index, Notes, and a Sketch of the Author's Life, by Stephen 
B. Wickens. Illustrated with a Portrait of Bunyan, and several 
wood-cuts. 12mo., pp. 478. Price, gilt edges, 81 50. 
This interesting and instructive work is here presented in so cheap a form as to bring 
it within the reach of most of the admirers of the Tinker of Bedford. The text 
has been carefully corrected from the best and most accurate London editions. It 
is divided into chapters of moderate length, (a great convenience to readers,) and 
contains a brief sketch of the author's life; an introduction ; index; and occasional 
explanatory and practical notes, chiefly selected from Bunyan's own writings. It 
is embellished with a fine portrait of the author, and numerous well-executed 
wood engravings. 

Poems on Moral and Religious Subjects, 

By Anne Lutton. 12mo., pp. 136. Price, 35 cents. 

p2 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Popery, Dialogues on, 

By Rev. Jacob Stanley. From the Second London Edition. 
18mo., pp. 270. Price, 35 cents. 

Pope, the Temporal Power of the, 

Containing the Speech of the Hon. Joseph R. Chandler, delivered 
in the House of Representatives of the United States, January 
11, 1855. With Nine Letters, stating the prevailing Roman 
Catholic Theory in the Language of Papal Writers. By John 
M'Clintock, D.D. 12mo., pp. 154. Price, 45 cents. 
A most able exposition. 

Power, the Gift of; 

Or, the Special Influences of the Holy Spirit the Need of the 
Church, By Rev. S. H. Platt. With an Introduction by Rev. 
Nathan Bangs, D.D. 16mo., pp. 277. Price, 75 cents; gilt 
edges, $1 00 ; extra, $1 50. 

Prayer-Meetings, the Importance of 

In Promoting Revivals of Religion. By Rev. Robert Young. 
18mo., pp. 108. Price, 25 cents. 

Any work on the best way of promoting revivals of religion cannot but be accepta- 
ble to the lovers of our common Christianity. This manual is especially adapted 
to the use of Methodist readers, and justly deserves their serious attention. They 
will find in it many suggestions which will serve to improve their own piety, and 
many more which, if duly regarded, will greatly increase their usefulness : an ob- 
ject at which every Christian is bound to aim, as second only in importance to his 
own salvation. 

Prayer, Secret and Social, a Treatise on. 

By Rev. Richaed Treffry. 18mo., pp. 219. Price, 35 cents. 

Contents : Definition of Prayer— Spirit of Prayer— The several parts of Prayer— En- 
couragements to Prayer — Advantages of Prayer — Places and Seasons appropriated 
to Secret Prayer— Excuses for the Neglect of Secret Prayer considered— Social 
Prayer illustrated — Eeasons why Men should pray with and for each other — On 
Public Meetings appropriated to Social Prayer. 

Prayer, Secret, an Essay on, 

As the Duty and Privilege of Christians. By Joseph Estwisle. 
18mo., pp. 40. Price, 5 cents. 

p3 



GENERAL CATALOGUE. 



Sabbath. Practical Considerations on the Christian, 

Treating on the Design and Moral Obligation of the Sabbath ; 
its change from the Seventh to the First Day of the Week ; and 
the Spirit and Manner in which it ought to be Sanctified. 
By Rev. P. M'Owan. 18mo., pp. 200. Price, 30 cents. 

The desecration of the holy day is so common that no effort should be spared to 
bring about a better state of things. 

Sabbath-School and Bible Teaching, 

By James Ixglis. 12mo., pp. 224. Price, 50 cents. 

Sacred Annals: 

Sacred Annals. By Rev. George Smith, F.S.A. Three volumes. 
8vo. Price, $6 00. In half calf or half morocco, $7 50. 
I The Patriarchal Age. Pp. 522. 
II. The Hebrew People. Pp. 614. 
m The Gentile Nations. Pp. 663. 

Each volume is complete in itself, and may be had separately. The full title of each 
will be found under its appropriate head in this Catalogue. 

Sacred Literature, Succession of, 

A Concise View of the Succession of Sacred Literature, from the 
Invention of Alphabetical Characters to A.D. 395. By Rev. A. 
Clarke, LL.D. 12mo., pp. 420. Price, 70 cents. 

An undertaking which none but a master-spirit would presume to touch, and one 
•which none but the hand of a master could ever satisfactorily execute.— Imperial 

Magazine. 

Saints' Everlasting Rest, the; 

Or, a Treatise on the Blessed State of the Saints in their Enjoy- 
ment of God in Glory. By Rev. Richard Baxter. Abridged by 
Mr. Wesley. 12mo., pp. 333. Price, 65 cents. 

The pious of all Protestant denominations, for nearly two hundred years, have found 
in this work a rich treasure both of instruction and comfort. 

Sanctification. Letters on. 

The Necessity, Nature, and Fruits of Sanctification. In a Series 
of Letters to a Friend. By Nathan- Bangs, D.D. 18mo., pp. 313. 
Price, 40 cents. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Nov. 2005 

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